Daily, I get stopped by random strangers asking me the strangest things about my hair. I thought it was time to – once and for all –  satisfy your secret curiousity by writing and answering some of those curious questions here.

1. What do you do when you go to the bathroom??
   Why, I think this is more a question for a biology teacher.
   No, I do not use my hair to wipe, as that would be unsanitary. No, I don’t dip my hair in the toilet. Believe it or not, it is not stiff as a helmet, and I am able to move it to the side so as to prevent it from getting into the toilet where one might accidentally pee on it.
   This is something I have learned by instinct – not peeing on my hair, that is. It does not require a lot of training, and this should not prevent you from growing your hair.
2. Is your hair real???
   No! And the cake is a lie, too. Seriously, though – who buys 1 meter long hair extensions? My hair IS real. It looks real – if it would be extensions, I’m pretty sure at 1 meter, you don’t get extensions made from human hair, and I seriously hope people don’t think my hair looks like plastic.
3. How long did it take you to grow your hair???
   While I can see that this is a valid question, it is pretty much the hardest one I get asked. Because from when do you count growing your hair? I always had hair, so I always grew it. I had my hair long until 4th grade (long as in almost to the butt), then cut it to my shoulders and since then only cut the ends a few times a year. So is that when you count from? If so, then it’s 11-12 years I’ve been growing it.
4. How do you wash your hair???
   Another easy one: With shampoo and conditioner! And no, I don’t half a bottle of each every time I wash my hair. I use more than a short-haired person, yes, but not excessively much. I don’t need help washing my hair, I just spread out the shampoo/conditioner, pile it on top of my head, rub it in, wash it out. Rinse. Repeat.
5. How often do you wash your hair???
   I wash my hair 3-4 times a week, depending on how greasy it looks. No, it’s not gross not washing it every day, unless your scalp sweats a lot. I’m always cold, so my scalp isn’t sweaty. Washing your hair every day is not healthy if you want to grow your hair. It wears the hair a lot, so the less often you wash it (within reason), the better. But do not take this as if you shouldn’t shower! I shower more often than I wash my hair, I just put it up in a bun and easily avoid it getting wet without a shower cap.
6. How long does it take for your hair to dry??
   Also: Do you blow dry it??? No, I don’t blow dry my hair, I air dry and it takes anything from 2 to 5 hours, depending on the weather, what I’m doing, if I braid it etc. Why don’t I blow dry it? Because it, too, is not good if you want long hair. The heat is not good for hair, either.  I take my showers in the middle of the day on days where I wash my hair, so I can dry it in peace.
7. Don’t you spend hours taking care of your hair???
   People would be surprised by how little time I need to spend on my hair. I’m especially surprised when people with 3-coloured, spiky hair ask me this question. This is how my morning hair ritual is: Get out of bed. Unbraid my hair. Run a brush through a few times, done. Unless i’m washing my hair (See further up on this topic), I don’t do anything until bedtime when I braid my hair (not because it gets tangled from sleep, but I share a bed with my boyfriend, and my hair gets in his face if I don’t braid it). In total, I think I spend less time than people who go to the hair dresser every other month and have to shower + style their hair every morning.
8. Don’t your hair get tangled all the time???
   Surprisingly not. Unless it’s a very windy day, I don’t really have trouble with my hair getting tangled. It’s very smooth, which means it doesn’t tangle much. And if I feel that my hair starts to get tangled a lot, I use a kind of hair oil for a few days (leave-in treatment), and it’s fine again. Also, I actually wear my hair lose or in a ponytail most of the time, because my hair is so smooth (and heavy), it doesn’t stay up in a hair-do for long.
9. Do you ever sit on your hair???
   While I think it is weird for people to ask a stranger this, I do actually sometimes sit on my own hair. And yes, it hurts. I also get stuck in buttons on my jacket, door handles, slam my hair in the car door, get tangled in other peoples buttons etc. Yeah, it’s very annoying.
10. Don’t you get tired of your hair???
    If I was tired of my hair, I would cut it. As I’ve said, all of the trouble people seem to think come with long hair, don’t actually exist. I don’t spend hours combing my hair. Yes, I get my hair stuck in weird things, but I usually just laugh at it. All in all, I like having my hair. I won’t rule out that I might some day get tired of it and cut it, but for now – I like my hair. It’s a part of me, and I am pretty sure if I cut it off, people wouldn’t recognize me.

In summary: No, long hair isn’t troublesome, it’s awesome – And you’re welcome to compliment people with long hair, but please, PLEASE – if you don’t know the person, DON’T grab their hair and pet it like it was a dog!