BEAUTY FEATURE - IN case you hadn't realised, in every survey ever done the old answer is always the same - men prefer longer hair on women and, funnily enough, so do most women.

So why do we see less and less clients with long flowing hair? Well, often the reason is no matter how hard they try they just can't seem to grow it long - or at least they think they can't!

Sorry to be a killjoy, but having long hair is in everybody's power - but sadly, having the patience to actually grow it is not.

There are a myriad of reasons why everybody seems to have a different growth rate and even optimum growth length.

I do not know how many times as a hairdresser I have had clients of all ages comment to me "well, I just don't seem to be able to grow my hair long again" and, when quizzed, will almost all comment that they used to have such beautiful long hair when they were at school, but since having a rebellious haircut in their teens it seems to never want to grow as long again.

The answer is simple and pretty obvious to the rest of us. It will grow - it just needs to be left for 15 years or so with a trim-up every second school holiday, just like when you were younger!

Obviously this type of growth is beyond most of us, so I always fall back on my famous recommendation (this has actually never failed, but try as I might the patent office seem to continually refuse my attempts to register it) of two years on a desert island with no electricity to power your hairdryer or straightners (remember them). Just pure rainwater and a good comb.

This also improves your tan and all-over general health, but has a somewhat negative effect on your promotion chances at work. But what the hell - who wants to be a short-haired manager with dandruff when you can be a long-haired beach goddess?

By This is Wiltshire Beauty reporter