Working Moms with Long Hair

I did get my hair cut shorter when I started working after college (like you I have to look professional) It is still what you would call long hair but more styled so basically I just have to blast it with the hair dryer (I also use a serum to stop it looking all fluffy) I also only wash my hair every 2nd day, so on those days I use a dry shampoo and clip up the front which is quite "IN" just now. :-)

I also have long hair and dread cutting it. Most mornings I end up putting it in a pony tail. Some high, some low. Otherwise I just blow dry it straight and put it "quickly" through a straightener to soften it up. It's so frustrating. And to top it off - my son (15mos) pulls on it constantly... Best of luck!

There are some really great hair clips and accessories out there, now. I have a oval clip with a bar in the middle. It's designed for thick hair. I twist it up the back like I french twist and clip it in. It's an all-in-one design and I love it!!
I've sen a twisty device that looks like a strand of DNA (LOL). I saw it in the store, had it in my cart, but took it out, because my hair doesn't work with many of the clips and such. I recently saw a review of this twisty clip and everyone said it looks and works great. Even with thick hair. I think I will try it, too.
A low pony tail in the back, with a more elegant tie (with a jewel or design on it)

I shower on the days I work out, but cannot shower every day. In between showers, I take a little baby powder and sprinkle it (in my hands first) in my hair- Around the hairline, where it will tend to get greasier, first. My hair is usually dry - I don't have issue with greasy, but the '"edges" can get more of a shine

Good luck

I've resigned myself to at this point in my life getting up an hour earlier than the rest of them to get ready. The sideaffects as while I look professional i'm very tired all the time. Bed time now comes very early in my household. Its either that or go shorter for a while.

I have several African Butterfly hair clips that are good for all occasions.
I twist my hair into a cinnamon roll (it's just past bra strap length) and the clip hold it in place from morning till night. It goes in easy, comes out easy and feels more secure than hair sticks. Keeping it up keeps it from getting damaged (it doesn't get caught in the seat belt or window in the car).
Although some places sell them from $30 - $25, if you look around you can find some deals where they are $17 - $10 a piece.
http://www.tandthairclips.com
http://africanbutterflyus.com

my hair is long & thick, and Im considering a cut which I cant even imagine. But I also dont have time, or really any clue what to do with it besides hot rollers & that takes so long. I french braid it, which looks nice, but isnt really how I want to wear it, considering its been my "style" most of my life. When Im pressed for time, but determined for it to look nice, i mist the front & top layers with water & do a quick blow dry for a fresh look. Washing it is far too time consuming, so that works.

Yup, I'm with Kellhy. I have hair that, when given the time & products it requires, looks great, but without them, it's just a big, fuzzy mess. My hair is naturally curly & beautiful underneath in the back, but just wavy & fuzzy on the top & sides so it needs to be blown out & straightened to look good. I decided a few months ago to go with a shoulder-length cut to simplify things a little bit, but it only saves time on the blow drying really. I get up at 5:15 Monday-Friday to give myself time for a shower, a cup of coffee while I read a few pages of a book, and to do my hair & make-up before waking the kids up at 6:45. I leave the house at 7 & the kids get themselves to the bus stop half an hour later. I try to get to bed by 9:30 or so, but it doesn't usually work out for me.

I wash my hair at night , let it air dry and put it up in a pony tail (comb it with a side part to the left and then put it in a low pony tail) or do half up/half down with a clip. I would also suggest checking out some hair accesorries...also, you didn't mention who cuts your hair BUT what I did was go to a new salon and shell out the $$ for a SENIOR stylist. I told her, I'm a mom of 2, I work full time and I need my hair to look good and do as little as possibile to it. I told her when I wash it and what I can do with it on the weekends...She gave me a really fabulous hair cut and it was worth every penny! If I don't put in a ponytail I need very minimal time to style it down.

My hair is down to the small of my back, very thick and curly too. I usually french braid it. I learned 3 different 'types' of braid, so I don't have to have it the same every day. I also change it up by flipping the 'tail' under, or bunning it up, etc. I have gotten so I can do a decent braid in about 5 minutes, 10 if I want it to look REALLY nice. lol.

My hair is usually just down and tucked behind my ear.
I have very thin hair, but it's long and there's a lot of it. I usually just dry it, use a straightening iron - which takes about 5 minutes, and I'm out the door.
I don't do much "styling".

Is there a leave in conditioner, or something you can put on the night before - maybe without showering - that would take a few steps out of your morning routine?

I have medium long hair that is curly/wavy and is totally frizzed out if I don't wash it and put a bit of silicone and gel in it to calm it down. To be honest I found that if I just stop and think about what I am putting myself through each day I can make changes that make my life easier.

If you have extra greasy hair think about getting a body wave perm. It makes the hair less greasy and will keep it from looking flat and limp.

If you hae dry hair then go to Sally's or beaty co and buy some Aphogee Gloss Theraly and use it after each wash. It will make your hair shine and give it bounce. Use only small amounts until you find the right amount for your hair.

If you have straight as a string hair then towel dry it as best as you can and then let it go dry by itself while you are getting breakfast and other stuff.

If it is truly something you cannot manage without 45 minutes of drying and styling then it is time to contact a prfessional for an update on hour hairstyle. It may be that just trimming it into a little better style may make things easier and let it look nice so you can go a couple fo days without washing it every morning.

When my hair was longer I rolled it up wet on large rollers and used a hood type hair dryer. The curl goes deep that way and you really just need to brush it out each morning and it looks the same day after day. If it looks a bit limp then hot rollers help fluff it back out.

Since you know how to roll your hair I think the best option would be trying to roll it and dry it in the rollers. Like an old lady at the beauty shop.

But my hair sounds similar to yours, mine is not as thick, and I used to take an hour every day to do my hair too. I had a hair dryer with a half round brush on it and as I dried each indiviual piece of my hiar it went on a roller to cool down. It was very time consuming. I discovered the Gloss Therapy and mousse/gel and my hair looks amazing most of the time. I wash, condition, towel dry a bit, put some Gloss Therapy in it (concentr4ating ont he ends to make sure they get enough) and then add some hair gel (I use Pantene or some toehr name brand) and then I bend over and fluff it a bit and I am off to whateveh I am going to do. I get compliments on my hair all the time. At first it was hard making the changes because I was so ingrained in to my hair routine. But I am so glad I made the changes. it's almost like my hair has gotten crulier as time has passed. Getting it trimmed into a better style helped too. It lightened it so the curl it had could do it's job.

Mine isn't that long, a little past my shoulders. I wash mine usually every other day at night. I brush it but I don't dry it lol In the morning I just brush & put in a pony tail. It doesn't take me long to do that. But my hair is fine & straight.

I'm considering cutting it shorter though, I'm so tired of all the hair that falls out! Not sure if cutting it would help except that it would be shorter hair everywhere.. haha

I have hair down to the middle of my back. It is naturally curly and some mornings I wash it, diffuse it and go. But most of the time I shower at night and blow dry it straight. In the morning I get up (45 minutes before I need to get the kids up) and I either flat iron it or I use a 2" curling iron and put big curls in it. I completely get myself ready and lunches made and boys' clothes set out before I get them out of bed. That way I spend the next 30 minutes snuggling them and helping them get ready and we're not rushed and frustrated trying to get out the door on time.

I use to work in an enviroment like that and I also have long thick hair. I use to use The really BIG clips and twist my hair around kinda like a french twist and tuck it up and down and put the clip on it and spray the heck out of it. Try a french braid or bun? I know its hard but short hair is worse as when you wake up it is standing up everywhere and you have to curl it and its a pain so I do not suggest that! Also if you cut it sholder length if its as thick as mine you are just goingto wake up with an afro. My hair is naturaly wavy and frizzy and thick and it takes forever to do. You couldalso side part it and pull it back into a low ponytail.

I've finally had enough, so at 5:15 today I'm having it all cut off. :)

You can probably get by with washing your hair every other day, as a time saver. Plus, unwashed hair is supposed to be easier to style/hold the style better.

I suggest braids, or a simple barrette.

You could also do a bun or a twist (with those chopstick things; I never mastered that, but always thought it looks very nice & sophisticated).

I so hear ya!!! But please please don't cut it..I am sorry no offense but it seems like when women have babies they get the short hair mommy cut...which by the way still needs to be styled or you can tell no effort was put into it. Experiment with different hair clips. Can you use a hair straightening iron or a big barrel curling to run through your hair??? It would give it a smooth and finished look

i recently cut off my hip-length hair and have been astounded by how much less complicated my life has become!
when it was long i usually french braided it. if time was an issue it went up in a butterfly clip, but those didn't hold my hair well and it would need to be redone several times during the day. can you wear it down, with just the sides held back in a nice clip?
khairete
S.

My hair is long but thin and straight. I can do my hair in five minutes or spend as much as 45 minutes on it like you do. What about putting it in a braided bun or learn how to do a french twist? Those are professional looking. Also, can save yourself time with curlers by putting your hair up in a very high ponytail (think on the top of your head) and only putting curlers in the hair that is sticking out of a ponytail. My hair dresser taught me this and it works great!!! Also, just a low ponytail braided would be a good route to go!

I used to wash, dry, and brush it well and tie it up in a braid at night. This eliminated any snarls. Then, in the morning, I'd just brush it out and go.

My hair is now shoulder length. It's relatively wavy - depending on the humidity - and I just brush and go. It does what it does. There is no taming it...

I also used to tie it back with a clip at the nape of my neck. It was back, but it wasn't a ponytail...

YMMV
LBC

I get a perm. That way I just put mousse in it at night when I wash, then it's ready to go in the morning. If it looks horrible that day, I put it in a quick bun.

If I spend a lot of time of my hair, it looks pretty great too. However, we get lots of fog and my hair can look like I never combed it in my life within half an hour of going out.
I wash my hair at night, let it dry a bit and then comb it like I'm going to put it in a pony tail, but I twist it pretty tightly first, roll it into a "bun" and then put a hair band on it while it's still damp. Then, in the morning, I just run my fingers through it. Dampen the front and blow dry my side swept bangs and put the back up in a clip. Twisting it makes it look like I spent a long time curling it. The whole thing takes 10 minutes in the morning. I just hate fussing with my hair when I don't have the time to do it.
It's a trick I figured out a long time ago and I stick with it. My clips are life savers.
Sometimes I feel too tired at night to fiddle with it, but the time it takes saves me in the morning, so I just push myself to do it.

I hope you find something that works great for you!

have you tried wearing your hair in a french braid or twist or something?

What are you doing to it that it takes 45 minutes????? I'm 43, have naturally curly hair to the middle of my back. In high school I hated it, it took me an hour to blow dry it straight every morning. Now I have embraced my curls. I take a shower and wash it, throw some mousse in it and let it dry naturally, I get compliments on it all the time and hubby loves it long. Don't cut it and get the lazy old lady hair!!! good luck!!!

I have very thick medium length hair and it used to take me 30 minutes to do my hair in the morning just blow drying it, nothing fancy. Well after the second one came I said screw it. I have somwhat curly hair, so I blow dry the bangs straight, tip my head over blow dry it just enough so it isn't sopping wet, add some gel, pull the sides back in a clip and done.

It isn't the best, but I don't have 30 min to spend on my hair when I am up 3-4 times a night with the baby.