To ask for your low-maintenance hair advice?

[RealHedgehog]

I currently have long hair that is somewhere between waist and hip length. Whatever hair type I have seems to take about eight hours to fully air dry, and at least 30 minutes to fully blow dry. And that doesn't include the time taken to shower and wash it, let alone try and fancy it up with styling. I don't have the time to do all this, so my hair never really looks 'done', and I don't have time to wash it often enough.

I am a carer for my chronically ill husband and have a busy, stressful life outside of that too. I've reached a point where my hair is always scraped back into a bun because of how long it takes to make it presentable, and it doesn't look good.I also do heavy, sweaty running and working out 5 times a week, so I need to wash it frequently- I can't get away with only washing it once or twice a week.

I'm on here often enough to know a lot of the women on here are up to their tits in childcare, work, family stuff etc and probably don't have much time to spend on doing their hair. What do you ask for at the hairdresser? What hairstyles have you found that don't need much fussing over? What length works best for you and is easy to maintain?

I cut mine to shoulder length and still find it's up most of the time. I'm reluctant to have it cut very short because I think really short hair needs styling.

Shoulder length so you can still tie it up but equally have days without washing it, and drying time is cut. If it's really thick then get an undercut.

Mine is a similar length, wash it every 6/7 days. It gets admired and is less work than a shorter style tbh.

Plait it overnight, straighten it if going out out...

Cutting to shoulder length is a game changer… much quicker to dry and is still ‘long’ I blow dry mine after washing about three times a week. I then run straighteners through it quickly if in a rush (I shape it with them if that makes sense so it’s not lank), occasionally I do waves or curls with tongs, sometimes if I can be bothers I twist it up with a claw clip but again shaped at the front. On days when I’m not washing my hair it takes me less than five minutes to do. On a wash day it’s about twenty minutes including drying. I run some hair oil in before I blow dry so it adds shine (L’Oréal do a great one) and I sometimes use a tiny bit of an aveda bond builder crème subbed between my palms and smoothed over my hair to get rid of any fluffy bits. Hope that helps - I know it sounds a lot but it’s very quick and easy with the right tools.

I think cutting it a little shorter, maybe get some layers if it’s thick to help it dry a little easier, and then my holy grail for my hair is heartless curls. I put them in when my hair is damp/70% dry (whether I wash it and leave it to air dry or quick blast with the hairdryer), sleep in it and then take out the next morning. My hair looks like I’ve spent ages styling and curling it when in actual fact it took me 5 mins to wrap it before bed and I just woke up and shook it out, ran a little serum through it and all done, and it even looks good tied back. You can put them in on dry hair too so if I’m on day 2 hair I still do it before bed.

I have really thick hair and have it just below shoulder length. Pre children I had a Bob but that needed styling every day, at least now I can choose to tie it up. I’ve always had wavy hair but recently I’ve embraced the curly girl method rather than straightening it which is actually a lot easier. I also get it thinned out regularly.

Cutting g my nearly waist length hair was one of the best things I ever did. Rub on a bit of hair wax and it's done

I've got very short hair and other than washing and conditioning it once a week I do nothing at all to it. My hair has been short for most of my life but I still spent time fussing over it and trying to make it behave. Having it very short is so liberating.

Heatless curls overnight. Gamechanger for me.

My hair is the same as yours, in the morning I just coat it in lots of hair oil then french plait it. It looks beautiful and only takes 5 minutes.

I only wash it once a week because it's such an ordeal but it's just too beautiful to cut it all off. I cut it short once and vowed never again as I hated it.

I'm so envious - I've wanted long hair all my life! When I was a little girl my mother told me that when I turned eleven years old (I don't know why 'eleven' was the magic number!) I could let it grow. I used to have it cut just below my ears until then. I was so excited when the special birthday finally came round. I've been growing it ever since - more years than I care to admit to - and it never grew below the top of my shoulder blades! I felt so cheated! Anyone can have short hair, not everyone can have long hair. If it's in good condition, keep it. Maybe have a word with your hairdresser for advice.

I have what I call a ‘swing bob’. My hair is very very fine and there’s oodles of it but it doesn’t look nice long. I wash it most nights, brush it, sleep on it wet and brush it in the morning.

I keep mine at bra strap length, have it cut every seven weeks annd invested in a Dyson hairdryer. It used to take so long to dry and now it’s minutes and looks really soft, smooth and shiny.
My style is a fringe and long layers and shaping around the face. It’s an easy peasy style . I have a rule if I’m tempted to have it up more than once or twice a week then I have a few inches cut off. I can’t see the point in having it long and up all the time.

Mines nipple length. I wash once a week. 20 mins blow dry. 10 mins with hot brush to give some body. Have it in bunches overnight and just brush in the morning. So much easier Han short hair

I used to have similar length hair to you, and having it cut to shoulder length was a revelation. I couldn’t believe how much quicker it was to dry and how much easier to put up. I now find that as soon as my hair gets below my nipples (so that’s a big longer each year… ) it’s ready to lose a few inches and I will notice a difference in drying time and manageability.

Mine's a similar length to yours. It spends most of it's time in a claw clip or folded in a scrunchie. Added bonus is if I do this after washing my hair I end up with beautiful wavy hair once it's dry.

I only 'style' it if I'm going out. Or rather, I wash it the night before and scrunchie it up to sleep in - basically rag roller it.

I don't wash it every day. I rarely blow dry it.

I had shorter hair once and found that more of a pain because it needed styling every day.

So far, my lovely long locks are one thing menopause hasn't taken away from me

Shoulder length, then in a bun when necessary would be much easeir.

I have frizzy hair but cut to shoulder length and a keratin treatment has worked wonders. Weekly professional blow dry rather the wrangling with brush and dryer saves masses of time snd gets a much better result.