Tips for guys with long hair/people with alternative hair styles.

Editing right here at the top...Killing more time I see I may have missed the intent of the question, but I'll leave the rest there because I feel like it:

Before I broke down and cut it all of I had straight, long, blond Scandinavian hair that was prone to splitting issues. For the most part I didn't do anything too intensive. I did a trim to get rid of split ends about 2 to 3 times a year, and for the most part wore it braided. For my daily regimine I washed, conditioned and used a leave in moisturizer all using a "Silk Therapy" product. I don't remember who makes it, but it worked well for me, and a google on Silk Therapy should yield results.

I suppose the tips depend on the environment that you want to interact with. I'll go from my experience, and maybe that will help. These days I'm about 1/2 inch away from shaved completely bald, but up until about 4 1/2 years ago I had hair that would regularly get stuck in my belt (around my waist). That is just so that you know where I'm coming from. Now for some tips:

1) You will be judged. Whether it's by prospective employers, people in the grocery store, bums on the street, people in your social circle, you will be judged. Some of those judgements will be good, some bad. If you want to change the bad judgements it will frequently take a great deal of effort, and that effort may be more than you're willing to put in. If you can't keep that from getting under your skin just cut your hair and be done with it.

2) In the work place (or potential work place) as a rule don't wear your hair loose. Tie it back, braid it if possible, and make sure that it is as tight and orderly around the top, front and sides of your head as possible. That gives the appearance of smart, on the ball, a little eccentric. Loose long hair tied back makes a person look like a bum, and long hair not tied back will often be percieved as a lack of respect in the work environment. The longer you are in a given work place the more you are able to mold the impression that people have of you, and you might be able to take a few more freedoms. This is really the only place that I gave a damn. My job, or potential job, kept a roof over my head, so I took it pretty seriously, and one day about 4 1/2 years ago the situation was such that it was worth cutting it all off after 17 years.

3) In other public places. Be aware that when someone judges you they expect you to act in accordance with their perception. If you give them attitude, or really even respond to them responding to your appearance, you're only confirming to them that they have judged you correctly and you lose. Don't be confrontational, don't stare them down, just ignore them like you would ignore an ant on the sidewalk. They simply don't matter. It's their game, and the only way that you can win is by not playing in to it in the first place.

4) You'll probably find that cops may give you a bit more attention than more conventional looking people. As in tip #1, if you can't keep that from getting under your skin just cut your hair and be done with it.

5) If you've got family issues, that's something different. If you're under 18 and living with mom and dad, sorry, but you really should do as you're told. There's time enough for doing your own thing when you get out of the house. If you're over 18 and living with mom and dad, get the hell out of there, grow up, and get on with your life.

I guess that's really about it. The impression that people have of your long hair really only matters in the workplace, and only then if it has any kind of negative effect on the status of your employment. In that situation you have the choice to change their attitude about you, cut your hair (rarely, but sometimes, worth it), or find another place to work. Every place else just remember that if strangers take issue with your appearance, screw em. You didn't know them yesterday, you won't know them tomorrow, they have no relevance to you.

It would be nice to have that magic bullet that just made everybody look past your appearance, but that's not reality. You'll be judged. You'll be judged negatively by most...back to tip #1, if you can't keep that from getting under your skin just cut your hair and be done with it.