Wednesday, 25 March 2015
BEAUTY | My Top Tips for looking after very long hair.
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| QUEEN of long hair...see what I did there? |
As you can see from this photo, my mane is very long. It has taken years to get my hair back to its old, healthy self after destroying it with bleach in my late teens / early 20s and finally - at 30 - after stopping bleaching at 22, it is the length and condition that I want it. YAY. *Internet High Five*
Here is a 'bleach' pic for your amusement.....
Oh dear lordy....
Anyway, I do get told that it always looks very healthy and looked after despite it's long length which it is. My hair is my precious to me and I look after it as best I can, some days and weeks not so much and yes, it can be neglected and shoved on top of my head because it is easier with a little one but overall, it is very well maintained.
So, just in case you are trying to grow your hair or your hair has got a bit longer now and you want to know how to keep it healthy and long - here are my tips:
1) Still get regular cuts.
Not every 6 weeks as the length will never grow but as regular as possible and have one cut a year where you have a good couple of inches (more if needed) lopped off to make it feel really refreshed and healthy again. I probably have it cut twice a year and have a good couple of inches cut off each time but the length it is now I can afford do that. Keep an eye on how your ends look and if they look ratty and split, book a hair cut pronto! Those split ends will only travel further up the hair and cause more damage.
2) Limit colouring.
My hair is now dyed a 'nicer' version of my natural colour and even though I know it needs dying again it isn't too desperate. I probably dye it every six months or so. If you can't say no to the dye thats of course fine but most of all, avoid bleach as it is so damaging to hair and if you want it to grow, bleach is a no! (Oooh that rhymes)
3) Try not too wash it too often.
I am lucky my hair is thick and doesnt go greasy until after about four days, I am also lucky that I can pile it on top of my head if I need to. I literally wash my hair once a week and I really think that makes such a difference to how conditioned it feels. Plus because I am only really styling it once a week it isn't receiving as much heat from blow drying etc. Which leads me to my next point.....
4) Limit heat.
Constant straightening, blow drying and curling is not good for your hair so try and limit how often you do it. I try not to blow dry and just use styling tongs when it is dry to deal with fly aways etc (again a luxury of long hair as it is weighed down and doesn't dry too horrificly!) If I have to blow dry it I tend to just do it slightly wavy (I hate blow drying) and finish off with serum to tone down the frizziness of freshly blow dried hair. Don't forget to ALWAYS use heat protection, it is a must!
5) Use a root boosting shampoo.
I used an amazing one from Lush after having Savannah because my hair started falling out and breaking off. It really stimulates hair growth and helped my terrible hair line of broken baby hair get to work at repairing itself and regrowing. I thoroughly recommend visiting Lush for any hair growing concerns you have.
6) Tie it up less and not always in the same position.
If you tie your hair up into a ponytail, at the same position day in and day out you are damaging your hair. The pulling and the band being clasped around the same area of hair just makes your folicles - and that section of the hair that is being tied -weaker. Alternate ponytail heights and try and wear your hair down when possible.
7) Condition.
It is so important to condition your hair once a week with a hair mask or, like me, with raw coconut oil; that stuff is amazing and it makes my hair silky soft and shiny even if I let it dry naturally and it is frizzy, rather than it feeling dry, it still feels soft. That stuff is amazing.
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2 comments:
I reeeally need to get on board the coconut oil thing! I've heard such great things about it, but I'm just worried it'll leave my hair feeling all greasy and horrid :/ any tips for doing it right?
I've gone down to just colouring about twice a year as well, just to freshen up my natural blonde a bit (especially in Winter!), but I do like having my hair up a lot, so that ones something I might need to work on.
I've recently started doing milkmaid braids a couple of times a week though, cos it just involves hair pins and no ties :) hopefully that's helpign a bit! xx
Little Miss Katy | UK Lifestyle Blog
I never knew that about ponytails - I tie my hair up every night, but might need to shake things up a bit! Fab post, and your hair's truly wondrous :)
Claire | Stylingo.co.uk | xx
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