Nov
24
Beautiful You: Growing Long Hair
Columnized in Beautiful You | Discussion with 16 Comments »
The following are a few quick tips that will come in handy whether you want to grow your hair three inches or three feet, or if you simply want to maintain a healthy mane and prevent damage.
- Beginning. If you want grow long hair, it’s very important to begin with undamaged strands. Split ends don’t grow, so be sure to cut off any that you see. It’s best to go to a hair dresser for the initial cut.
- Care. As soon as you’ve taken the plunge and had all those split ends chopped off, your hair will need to be treated very gently, like delicate lace, to prevent damage. Use a gentle shampoo (or homemade recipe) to wash your hair and try to abstain from washing it everyday as this strips away natural oils. Also keep in mind while scouring your scalp that if you are working all of that hair into one giant beehive-shaped lather on top of your head, you are also causing a great deal of damage to the hair shafts. Instead, work from the roots to the ends gently scrubbing with the fingertips. Use a generous amount of conditioner after every shampoo and be sure to deep condition at least once a month. Hair is always more fragile when wet, so don’t brush it in this state.
- Tools. The golden rule of growing hair is to never ever use hair rollers, straighteners or curling irons; this is the equivalent to burning your hair with a hot poker iron. Do switch to a natural fiber hair brush and brush often, working your way from the ends to the roots. This helps distribute natural oils to all parts of the shaft, keeping the ends moisturized and the scalp from getting greasy. It’s also a good idea to use a wide-toothed comb for all your detangling needs as it is less likely to cause damage than a brush.
- Nutrition. Eat a balanced diet full of healthful grains and fresh vegetables. A malnourished body simply cannot grow strong hair! If you have any nutrient deficiencies be sure to address them either with diet change or supplements.
- Habits. Adding a few simple habits into your daily routine can make a big difference when trying to grow long hair. Never wash hair in hot water (warm in fine) and finish off each washing with ice-cold water. This seals the follicles and keeps moisture in (not to mention the fact that it’s great for the lymph system!) Switch to a satin pillowcase and braid your hair carefully before retiring to protect it during the night. On sunny days, wear a satin headscarf or hat to protect against UV rays and when participating in activities which could snag some hair, wear it in an updo to protect it as well.
More detailed information for serious hair-growers can be found at longlocks.com.
About The Author
Miss Kate is a 17-year-old young woman currently studying Holistic Medicine at home while battling Chronic Lyme Disease and clinging to Christ for strength. She loves to spend time outside, read, study, write, and travel and hopes to one day hike and run again. You can visit her at A Tent for the Sun or Healing Lyme.
This was a great post. I have long hair myself & love any and all tips of keeping it healthy and lengthy. In fact I am due to get my ends trimmed as it has been well over a year since I had it done last. So thank you for the reminder.
~Mrs. M
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Excellent post! I have been trying to grow my hair since the end of summer and so far, haven’t had much luck. I know it takes time and patience, but it’s hard!
I’ll put some of those tips into practice and see what happens – thanks again!
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Lisa's reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Hair only grows about 1/2 inch on average each month, so depending on what you’re doing you’re probably not going to notice much growth, even so, that’s only about 6 inches per year.
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Kate's reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Excellent point, Lisa. It’s good to trim the hair about 1/2 inch every three months to maintain healthy ends. Doing this will mean about 4 inches of growth each year (give or take). Growing long hair is a slow process, but if you stick with it, you will see results!
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Miss Leah Kathryn's reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Yes, Kate, ever so true! :-)
I actually have noticed the later with my hair. When I was a young child my hair was very thin and short. It has taken half of the years of my lifetime to grow my hair mid-back length. I am trying to grow it out a bit still, though.
Leah Kathryn
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Thanks for these tips. I have really curly hair and I like it straight sometimes I need to get out of that habit if I want longer hair though.
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Another thing that really improves hair shine, promotes quicker growth and strengthens is making sure to have adequate Omega 3 Fatty Acids in your daily diet.
Sources: flaxseed, Omega fish oil (make sure it is high quality, food grade and mercury free) and eating a good source of fish like Salmon on a regular basis!
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Kate's reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Excellent advice, Christina! Nordic Naturals is a great mercury-free fish oil supplement that can be taken in liquid or gel cap form. (I take this)… as well Trader Joe’s sells an excellent store-brand flax seed oil.
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I have been considering growing my hair out longer, so these tips are great! Thank you! :D I have curly hair though, so my question is, how do I keep it curly? When I braid my hair, all the curl goes out and leaves just kinky waves. My hair stays pretty curly now (at shoulder length), but if I grow it out longer, it may not stay curly, but get more wavy. Do you have any suggestions? :) I’d like to keep my hair curly. ;)
Blessings to you!
~Rachel~
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Kate's reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Great question, Rachel. Whether or not you can keep the curl in long hair depends on a couple of things. First of all, it depends on how curly your hair is to begin with. My hair curled up like a spring when it was short, but now that it’s long, it’s wavy most of the time. However, if you have really curly hair (as in ringlets all the way down) then chances are growing long hair won’t effect the curl hardly at all. Whether or not long hair stays curly can also depend on how much you brush it. Sometimes brushing long curly hair too much (as I suggested in the article) can take the curl out and leave wavy hair. Unfortunately there’s no miracle product that will keep curls perfectly intact despite the force of gravity. It really depends on the individual’s hair and the strength of the curls. Also, I should mention that braiding hair will take the curl out of almost anyone’s hair (again the exception being tight ringlets). The best way to find out if your hair will hold its curl at a greater length is to start growing it out see what happens. At least this way you’ll be able to reverse the process anytime you want.
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I was stupid teenager and cut hip length hair to chin when I was eighteen. That braid is still at my childhood house. Oh well, the sunny side is that I will never ever cut my hair as short again. No temptation now that I have done it once.
For years my hair length varied from chin length to shoulder length. Then one day I noticed that I hadn’t gone to a hair dresser for months and decided to let my hair grow. Now it is around midback length.
I don’t think they will again grow to hip length but time will show. I have very fine and silky yet thick hair type (typical Nordic hair). No matter how well I treat this head, I still have split ends. I have found to tips very useful:
1. jojoba oil on ends
2. wearing hair up to protect them
A friend asked me what is the point having long hair if I don’t show them untied and open. I thought it was a weird question. I don’t keep my hair long to get attention and admiration from strangers. I just want them to be long and in good condition.
Thank you for these tips and for the hair care and hair style tips in general! You’re doing very good work in here.
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Kate's reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Thank for mentioning jojoba Kristiina! Here are some tips for using jojoba oil to nourish the hair…
http://www.carefair.com/Hair/J....._1734.html
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A friend with baby-fine hair that broke or split easily recommended Biotin to me… it’s a natural supplement designed specifically for hair and nails. I have yet to try it but HER hair looks AMAZING!
Thanks for recommending cutting off all the dead stuff first… I have friends who refuse to trim their hair, and it’s completely gross! For goodness sake, trim it and then grow it out! :)
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Kate's reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Biotin is another great thing to bring up! It’s a B-vitamin found in eggs and liver, though you’d have to eat massive amounts of both to consume enough biotin to aid hair and nail growth significantly. You can get biotin supplements at any health food store.
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Excellent article, Kate!
I have been somewhat negectant to my hair lately. :-o Truth be told, I think my tresses are not as healthy as they should be.. oops.. my fault, my doing.. unfortunetly. :-(
This article was a good reminder to me to take better care of myself, thanks for writing! :-)
Leah Kathryn
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My hair is just a couple of inches off waist length. I totally agree with your advice. My hair is fine and wavy and coconut oil on my ends daily and bunned has really helped with preventing split ends; i have not one!
I also do not use heat or products containing sulphates, though i do have highlights but only get the roots done 3 times a year, my hair naturally dark blond so the roots are not that noticable.
thanks for the advice, long hair is well worth the wait, I only get 6″ a year too.
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