Man Who Has Grown His Hair For Sixteen Years Talks Long Locks And Tinder Success

By Liana Jacob

MEET THE man who decided to grow his hair SIXTEEN YEARS ago to save money and despite the JOB CENTRE demanding he cut it has kept his long locks that he says women love – even though he has yet to bag a girlfriend and admits to being a VIRGIN.

Oxfam volunteer, Carl Draper (37), from Lincolnshire, UK, struggled to afford regular cuts at the hairdressers which motivated him to leave it to grow and has been growing it since 2003.

His hair, which is now one-foot-long, has attracted some negative attention from strangers who demand that he should cut his hair short and many call him Jesus because of his hair.

Despite the negative ramifications of his decision, he insists that it was the right one and he feels more confident in his appearance. He also says that women love his long hair and some of his female friends are even jealous of it.

His worst reaction was when he was forced to cut his hair short when he went to the job centre, but he defiantly convinced them that if women can have long hair, then so can he.

His dating life has picked up since growing his hair and while he has never had a girlfriend, he has had some luck on Tinder in the last year.

“It was more of a case of I couldn’t afford seven or more quid to get my haircut, and I had better things to spend my money on like food and beer,” Carl said.

“I have been told I look like a girl occasionally, mostly by chavs, or just the usual ‘get your haircut’ or ‘get a job’. I just shrug it off, I assume people are either jealous or stupid.

“I have had comments on Facebook on my photos that I looked like Ariel from The Little Mermaid and I do get called Jesus a lot.

“What annoyed me the most was one time at the job centre, they tried to force me to get it cut to get a job, I explained that if girls can have long hair at work then so can I.

“I already knew other guys who work in IT that have long hair. I agreed with the job centre that as long as my hair looks tidy then there’s no issue.

“Lots of women love it and since I’ve grown it long, I’ve become much more confident. Online they often say ‘wow I love your hair’ or ‘your hair is awesome’. They usually ask me how long I have grown my hair.

“I wash it once a week, mostly use Wash ‘n’ Go, sometimes I use separate shampoo and conditioner. I brush it a lot, but that’s about it.

“I have never had much luck with dating etc, but since I grew my hair I have had more attention from the ladies, I see them turn their heads and look at me and smile.

“I never know how to respond though other than smiling back, I am rather inexperienced, and a bit shy, which wasn’t helped by my early experiences at school; I was considered ‘ugly’ at that time.

“I’ve never had a girlfriend and sadly I’m still a virgin. But I feel more confident since I grew my hair with all the compliments I have got. I’ve had a several matches on Tinder in the last year or so.”

Carl explains that while his hair can have a few downsides, he loves the positive reaction he has received.

“It tangles easily, and it can get in the way sometimes and I’ve had the beard for at least five years because I kept getting ID’d in supermarkets, even though I was ten years older than eighteen” he said.

“Most of my female friends love it, probably half the female friends I have on Facebook are those who love long haired guys.

“Incidentally, I am in a Facebook group called Long Haired Men – I suppose it’s half a support group and half confidence booster. I recommend more men should do it. Keep it brushed and wash it regularly.”