Thanks to all of you for this thread, it has truly encouraged me to get experimental in the hair room.  As a result, and I hope you agree, I've finally got a great result with long, wavy, messy bottomed hair that parts right and the top flips left over the side.  It's a hair I've always wanted, and it is rendering great (nevermind the shadows, I know how to fix them this is just a test render that took 3 minutes.)

I feel confident in the hair room now, as long as I'm not simulating (:-S)