Am I too old for hair this long?

[Longhairmightcare]

Hi I'm 36 with long bushy hair. I'm worried I've ventured in to mutton dressed as lamb territory with the length of my hair.
When styled with hot rollers it can look quite nice, (see 'after' pic) but most of the time I don't have time (see other 'before' pic) and it's pulled back and I think looks scruffy, it gives me a headache if it's in a pony tail or bun too long because of the weight. I've also had short layers cut in sides which are supposed to look all swoopy and princess Kate-like but actually just go straggly and 90s esque. I'm reluctant to cut it though as I've basically learned how to style it like this myself even though if takes an hour of need be I know I can make it look good, and I don't know what style to get/how short.
Or should I keep it long but need suggestions for a cut that will look ok when not fully styled and frames my face a bit when up without looking straggly. I like the idea of a fringe in theory, but also frightens me a bit!

As you can tell I'm not sure what I want, feel stuck in a rut and a bit scared of cutting it short(er) after all this time. Any S&B thoughts appreciated!

..."pixie cut"...

36? Old? Eh

OP, your hair is good.

My hair is both long and grey and I love it.
It is very rarely down though .... long hair lets you change style many times a day.
Letting it go grey saves lots of money

It really depends on body and face shape. I'm older than you and my hairdresser h"allows" my hair from top of boob to bottom of boob length only because of my shape not my age.

I must say though an eyebrow wax might improve your confidence in general 😂

And yes my hair is similar type to you - she gives me swishy layers and I deep condition it a LOT. It's not really low maintenance but on a day to day basis it doesn't need much styling.

Short hair styles look great on some people and others don't have the features to pull it off and the same applies to long hair.

I look infinitely better with a pixie. There's a lot of nasty ill-informed shit on this thread. Long grey hair can look wonderful too.

Re OP - I think your face shape and hair type would suit a much shorter style that is just below jaw level.

This sort of thing...

As a long-haired 40-something year old I find no one really notices the difference if it's long-long or just below shoulder-length - both look 'long', but the shorter version is more manageable and swishier/bouncier. And it doesn't get caught on things so much!

Could you get one of those Aurora bands? (Is that what they're called?) - you sleep in it and it gives you big curls in the morning.

Or, if I've blow dried or curled my hair, I tie it up with a loose scrunchy right on the top of my head overnight, which stops me squashing the style while I sleep, and gives it lovely volume at the roots.

Love the disguise!

That's not bushy. But if it is, save up for wella straight or loreal xtenso. Life changing.

If it's heavy and uncomfortable in a bun they I would say that your hair is too thick to have it that long, because it's long enough to be inconvenient.

There's no such thing as being too old to have it that long.

Will we ever put to bed this half arsed idea that the decision to have long or short hair should be age related? 'Mutton' has already been dealt with so I'll move move on.

It's difficult to tell whether long hair suits you without seeing your face (which I quite understand) but while it looks lovely curled, it looks quite out of condition in the other picture. As for it taking an hour to do .... if you enjoy that hour or it gives you some welcome child free 'me time' then keep it. Otherwise the fuck with that.

But most important of all, you sound like you're in a rut and bored with it. That's the best reason to change and it's not as if the only alternative is short. I'd start by just getting those out-of-condition inches cut off. It'll still be shoulder length which may well frame your face better and also be less heavy so you can put it up more. Then you can decide if you want to go shorter.

It's fabulous.

When I read the whole "too old for long hair" bullshit I promptly decided to grow out my pixie when I turned 30 and have long hair. Just to see if it pissed anybody off.

I don't think I have yet so I'm keeping it a few more years. I want some tuts and fingerwags, dammit.

Go to a nice stylist - proper nice with good reviews, not just a local small cheap salon. Sorry, local small cheap salons but I've had too many disasters. And they should be able to give you lots of advice on cutting it for movement and ease and so on. There's still options when it's long.