If you’re like me, growing really long hair these days is not a small feat. It is terribly difficult. However, occasionally I see ladies with extremely long and healthy hair, no breakage, with full hair all the way to the ends, and I don’t know how they did it. Because my own hair seemed to be stuck just below shoulder length for so many years, I thought that it was at its maximum growth length, and that the hair actually stopped growing then. This puzzled me, because my roots would keep growing, and I would re-colour them often, but the ends of my hair were always feathery and thin, and hit the same spot below the shoulders. I finally thought to myself, it had to be something else happening, because hair doesn’t stop growing. And even though I couldn’t really see it happening, it had to be that the ends were self trimming themselves by breaking off when I wasn’t looking. And that was why I constantly had to wait a year for a centimeter of growth! One visit to an over enthusiastic hair dresser, and any length I had gained would be gone, and my hair would get even shorter. It doesn’t help that my hair is naturally super dry, it makes aged hair ends very brittle, and break off.
Not that there is anything wrong with short, or medium lengths. I’d really love to try a wavy, layered bob one day, but not until I conquer some super long locks and defy what I thought was my stopping length. There is just something romantic and overly feminine about long, wild unruly hair. Another reason I’m not cutting my hair short is because if I ever get married again, my bridal hair-do has to be super long for drama, and to show it’s something I worked for…and trust me, growing hair is a lot of work. (a metaphor for getting engaged and a successful marriage, perhaps? Nah.)
Tips for bettering/helping hair growth!
1. SATIN. Okay, so I’ve always loved my luxurious-feeling satin bed sheets that I got from Urban Outfitters on sale years ago. But I love them even more now, since I read somewhere that rubbing your hair on cotton sheets while you sleep can cause breakage. If you don’t have satin pillowcases and sheets, I heard that a silk scarf on your pillow case works just as well. Sounds a little crazy, but who knows, it might work.
2. Get yourself a wide toothed comb. I was using all these thick hair brushes, with rough bristles for the longest time, and seeing huge amount of hair collected in the brushes after I comb. Common sense spoke to me that a big part of my hair growth was being thwarted by dense brushes. I now comb gingerly over knots and kinks with my wide-toothed comb that is low tech, and wonderful. It only cost me a dollar at the local barber supply.
3. Condition like CRAZY. Go further than using a conditioner labeled for “dry hair” by adding coconut oil and honey to the conditioner to amp it up. I wrote an article about this once, so click here if you want some inspiration on that topic. Also use a leave-in conditioner/oil. I love, love to use organic coconut oil. Softens your hair so much and smells heavenly…apply to the ends and midshaft daily to discourage breakage.
4. You have to BABY YOUR HAIR. Don’t do anything to it that may make it stressed out. No teasing, no hairspray, nothing that causes tangles. No harsh chemical treatments such as bleaching or perming. Braid it or put it in a bun, if it is bothering you, so that it stays protected and out of your way. Limit the shampooing you do to it. Invest in a good dry shampoo, or better yet make and use your own dry shampoo. The less your rub it, the better. Don’t tug on it, and just treat it well. And in 3 months you should notice a difference in fullness and length, I really did.
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