Help! My hair is too short!!

[roamingnome]

I’ve had long hair for as long as I’ve been competing. Never had an issue with hair nets/perfect hunter hair (it’s actually a HUGE pet peeve of mine when hair looks sloppy/hairnet is loose/SHOWBOWS).

Well I decided to cut 10-11" off of my ‘mane’ to donate/keep me cool during my first FULL summer in the Texas Sunshine

My beloved hair dresser decided to actaully cut 13" off, and now my hair is too short for hunter hair!!

What do I do? My helmet still fits (I have very fine hair), so no problem there, but I can’t get my hair over my ears and into a low ponytail without some peices poking out of my hairnet…

Oh- and I have a show tomorrow! Suggestions please!
:eek:

[Jumper_girl221]

What about using the top of a set of panty hose, just cut the legs/crotch off.

I’ve been wanting to try that since my hair doesn’t stay in a durn hair net for me!

[Jo]

Pick up a RWR no-knot hairnet… They are da bomb!

[janedoe726]

Here ya go!!

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?31913-The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Hunter-Hair-for-Short-Locks-Calling-Lord-Helpus!

[caughtintheact]

Agreed, the no knot hairnets are great!

[PaintedHunter]

Use something more like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0077FSSUK

Holds in shorter, wispy hair better than actual nets do.

[roamingnome]

[QUOTE=janedoe726;7041550]
Here ya go!!

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?31913-The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Hunter-Hair-for-Short-Locks-Calling-Lord-Helpus![/QUOTE]

I can’t open any of the links?

But thanks to everyone else!

[gottagrey]

Acck ears showing, Meredith Michaels Beerbaum seems to be doing quite alright w/ her ears and a few strands of hair showing. Take it easy OP, I know this is a pet peeve but please don’t resort to cutting up a pair of pantyhose or wearing some thug like hairmask for the sake of hunter hair. Think fashion icon Jackie O and the brouhaha she created when she went hunting sans hairnet…

[Dewey]

Sing Mia Song’s original post had a step-by-step guide with photos to making a hunter ring hairdo with a pair of pantyhose. Unfortunately, the pictures seem to have been taken down. It was pretty entertaining, but speaking as someone with short hair, I wouldn’t bother. If my hair is shaggy, I use a well-fitting hairnet; if not, I don’t even bother. If your hair is neat and your helmet fits well, you will look fine.

[AllEars]

How short is your hair now? Chin length? Layers? Shoulder length? A picture would help, since I’ve had to figure out numerous ways to restrain my hair at various lengths and cuts.

My hair is just at my chin with lots of layers. I can’t stand the feeling of my hair flying around when I ride so I use hairnets, even for everyday hacking. The RWR hairnets don’t work for me because the hair never seems to cover your ears- it just looks like you’re wearing a weird do rag.

I pull all of my hair into a super low ponytail (that is basically just a little 1/2 inch stub, if that) and then I brush/finger comb all of the loose layers that won’t reach the elastic forward. I then use 1 knot hairnets (2 of them) to pull the layers over my ears as I normally would with long hair, tying everything together like a ponytail at the back. I put my helmet on the same way you would if all of this had been done with long hair- back to front, tucking the loose ends of the quasi-ponytail up and voila. Hunter hair. People always think I have super long hair when I have my helmet on. If I’m at a show, I might add a little gel, just to keep the little baby hairs at the back of my neck in check. Starting with a little stubby ponytail first and using only the upper layers to cover the ears gives you the extra security that you need with shorter hair, otherwise the whole thing would never stay together, it would all just slide around. As long as you can pull a small chunk of hair into a small elastic, you should be able to use this method.

ETA: for fine hair, the double hairnet is key. Always use the thick ones designed for riding. Add gel if necessary. For super, super fine hair, I’ve known people to use a RWR hairnet with 2 normal thick hairnets on top of it. :eek: It works though.

[fourmares]

All is right with the world again… COTH has a hunter hair thread on the first page!
Seriously, there is no place on the judges sheet for a hair doo score. Put it up as best you can, amd worry about finding eight perfect spots, keeping a rhythm, and remembering your course.

[mypaintwattie]

When I had short hair I would always just use two hairnets, and it looked fine!

[Sing_Mia_Song]

[QUOTE=Dewey;7042116]
Sing Mia Song’s original post had a step-by-step guide with photos to making a hunter ring hairdo with a pair of pantyhose. Unfortunately, the pictures seem to have been taken down.[/QUOTE]

I let my account lapse–hadn’t used it in ages. The basic premise is that you take a leg of pantyhose and make a hairband out of it, as if it were a folded bandana. After you’ve knotted it to your satisfaction, spin it around so the knot is where your ponytail would be. Try to keep the hairband as wide as possible so you can tuck your hair inside it along the sides. Then flip up the ends of the knotted part the same way you would if it were a ponytail, cover with a hairnet and slap your helmet on it.

To be honest, though, I have moved on to the top of a pair of pantyhose with the legs and crotch cut off. This is basically the poor man’s version of this: http://www.eriquestrian.com/equestrianhairne.html. Because it is wider, it’s easier to do.

Is it necessary? No. But I prefer it because my hair is very fine and likes to wiggle its way out of hairnets, and there’s very little that is more annoying to me than feeling wispy bits of hair around my face when I ride.

Oh, one more hint: if you go the pantyhose waist route, go to Wally World and buy the really big ones (they’re even bigger than “queen” size). I get the control top ones.

I’ll try to do another post with new pictures.

[danceronice]

[QUOTE=gottagrey;7042091]
Acck ears showing, Meredith Michaels Beerbaum seems to be doing quite alright w/ her ears and a few strands of hair showing. Take it easy OP, I know this is a pet peeve but please don’t resort to cutting up a pair of pantyhose or wearing some thug like hairmask for the sake of hunter hair. [/QUOTE]

Seriously. Panty hose? When the MEN start freaking out about their ears showing when they have short hair that can’t be done has hunter hair, worry. If the judge is looking at your ears, you do not have real problems. Slick down any flyaways, put a hairnet over it if you’re that worried and it’s long enough to bother, otherwise panty hose on your head are kind of going to defeat the purpose of enjoying the summer heat without a head full of hair…

[PaintedHunter]

I don’t use one of the “thug” covers to cover my ears - I actually never cover my ears as I HATE that feeling. I just have short layers, and it keeps my hair in my helmet better than a net does. I hate the feeling of wispies hitting my face/eyes while riding.

[2ndyrgal]

Oh for heavens sake.

Unless you have ears like Prince Charles, it does not matter if you cover them up with hair or not.

The easiest way to deal with flyaways is this. It’s summer. Wet your hair, completely. Get as much of it as you can into whatever kind of ponytail you can. Spray the bejeazus out of whatever is left over with heavy duty hair spray like White Rain while you slick it down like crazy. Install hairnet, spray all over again, put your helmet on.

Haven’t any of you HPs figured out that whoever perfected hunter hair the first time only did it because her ears stuck out like Dumbo? Does it make you more aerodynamic or something? Magically find all eight fences? Produce clean changes?

George Morris didn’t even put his hair over his ears when he had hair and neither did some of his , ehem, more mature students. No where, in any of GMs books does it say anything other than hair must be neatly contained, preferably in a hair net. As many exercises and instructions as he gives on tack, turn out , spit, polish, etc, in none of his publications anywhere, does he address the correctness of “hunter hair”. Those of you who aspire to greatness in the hunter ring need to note if GM does not address it, it simply does not matter.

[KateKat]

I too prefer hunter hair because whispies on my face and ears is so distracting!

OP what color hair do you have? When I had a chin length bob what I did was get a black cloth headband (my hair is black)-you know the thick, yoga ones, and put that around my head/ears like my hair would normally go with hunter hair. Then I would put the hair net over the top of that and just twist the extra up into my helmet.

[roamingnome]

[QUOTE=KateKat;7043092]
I too prefer hunter hair because whispies on my face and ears is so distracting!

OP what color hair do you have? When I had a chin length bob what I did was get a black cloth headband (my hair is black)-you know the thick, yoga ones, and put that around my head/ears like my hair would normally go with hunter hair. Then I would put the hair net over the top of that and just twist the extra up into my helmet.[/QUOTE]

Great idea! Thanks!

And yes I know I don’t ‘have to’ put my hair up, but I wear a hairnet every ride, and I feel somewhat ‘naked’ without it, and it looks like I do have dumbo ears!

[Sing_Mia_Song]

@2ndyrgal;7043091

Haven’t any of you HPs figured out that whoever perfected hunter hair the first time only did it because her ears stuck out like Dumbo? Does it make you more aerodynamic or something? Magically find all eight fences? Produce clean changes?

And for heaven’s sake right back atcha, babe. Why does it bother you that some people prefer this look?

I like it because it is easy, neat, keeps my ears warm in winter, and I feel like it looks professional and put together. Necessary? No. But this way I know my hair isn’t going to go all jazz hands on me.

Y’all can laugh if you want, but I’m gonna keep doing it.

[caradino]

[QUOTE=KateKat;7043092]
I too prefer hunter hair because whispies on my face and ears is so distracting!

OP what color hair do you have? When I had a chin length bob what I did was get a black cloth headband (my hair is black)-you know the thick, yoga ones, and put that around my head/ears like my hair would normally go with hunter hair. Then I would put the hair net over the top of that and just twist the extra up into my helmet.[/QUOTE]

This is what I do! I have an angled bob that is chin-length in front and shorter in the back, and I do the wide cloth headband, hairnet over that tied into a “ponytail” (it’s mostly net, not a lot of hair in there) and then second hairnet on top. Keeps the whole thing under control! And my hair is light brown, but the way I do my hair you don’t even see the different-colored headband under the helmet at all.