Why choose one or the other? Why not be both?

Mohawk. Hair when you need it, baldness for when you don't.

the native americans did it.

me be prefer long (nappy) hair, and a tricorn hat to keep it out of the way.
a big beard be great as well.

as a wise sage, I'm pretty safe.
blessings and spiritual advice.



[edit on 30-8-2009 by lowki]

in real survival situations , you grow a pony tail ( both men and women ) and tie a nice little knot at the back of your head with a rubber band or strip of cloth .

anything longer than 6 inch's from your rubber band is cut off .

body oil naturaly repeals water , bugs , illness , infections AND OTHER PEOPLE .

when you sleep in what you ware , never wash or change what you are wareing ... you stink , your cloths stink , and your greasy and oily .... what happens is ... dirt , dust and an active life style will manage the balance of ,to much or to little , body oil .

frankly speaking , what your wareing becomes as hard as body armor on the outside , and oily soft as velvet against your skin .

the longer you ware the same thing , the more like a armor hardness what you ware will become ...
mud , tar , and dirt will work into your cloth and hair ...

the greatest mistake you can make is washing your hair or shaveing it all off.
human hair is functionaly design'd with clothing in mind .

if I was designing a machine , the reason for the hair is for freedom of motion with on the armor , retaining oils in motion sensitive area's

head and face hair is to armor and protect .
its suppost to get dirty and oily .

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post script : Ok ....ok.... it sounds gross , grundge , and over the top .

but from a form follows function , and purely survival point of veiw... its just the way I see it

Alexander the Great made his men shave for good reason. Military/etc also make you shave sometimes.

Shorter hair is necessary long hair gets in the way and egts caught in everything... and lice and parasites love it.

Keep your beard extremely short too. But dont 'shave' it it will add much warmth.

Short answer keep hair, and keep it short!!

Sorry, I bust out laughing - in a cynical way - over some of the posts here.
People actually worried about hair removal in a survival situation?
You’ve got to be kidding me.
If it wasn’t so pathetic I’d laugh.
Oh man, do those people have another thing coming.

Anyway.

Short hair - less chance of cooties and much easier to care for.

Long hair? Can get you killed. Either sex, ponytail or braid, doesn’t matter.

Sure, it keeps your head warmer - but - you’re also giving someone a perfect *handle* to catch hold of, detain you and manipulate the rest of your bodywith.

Added note:
When I worked for a ambulance squad I got my long braid caught in the back door of the ambulance.
Nearly ripped my head off.
Lucky to be alive.

No more long hair for me while working in any situation deemed hazardous, or, in a survival situation. Nope.