Don't know where to start

[Kate1]

I see all the people on here with such long hair and I don't know how to get there, what are good ways to keep from getting split ends? My hair care pretty much is just washing it every other day and brushing it every morning. What sort of products do you use? Please help me out.

[LittleOrca]

First of all welcome to the LHC!

Products that people here use on their hair are as various as the people who are here! Everyone's hair is different and will react to things different ways. Some people love Herbal Essence products, and others hate what it does for them. Some people prefer store bought and others prefer to make their own.

Take a look around the different subject areas on the forums and just read the discussions. There are ones on conventional products, natural and organic ones, as well as recipes for them. They are great threads with lots of information!

One thing that I do recommend is MSM pills. They are an herbal pill that aids in the growth of hair and aids in making it healthier. :)

[Kate1]

One thing that I do recommend is MSM pills. They are an herbal pill that aids in the growth of hair and aids in making it healthier. :)
Thanks! Where can I get those?:)

[LittleOrca]

I found mine at an organic market store, but I am sure places like GNC or stores with all sorts of vitamins would have it. Here is what the bottle looks like:

http://images.iherb.com/NWY-79240-m.jpg

There are other bottles by the same company (Nature's Way) that are just the MSM.

[camillacamilla]

For me, good vitamins and biotin help a lot. Also, if you are blow drying, curling ironing or flat ironing- you are going to have to stop or at least cut back. Another thing- be careful brushing or detangling your hair. I have seen people rip brushes throught their hair which certainly will cause damage and splits.

[Naava]

I found this great piece of newbie information from the articles that I found helpful:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=65

[Periwinkle]

Hey! Welcome to LHC :)

There's another great article you can check out here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39

[HairColoredHair]

For me the easiest way to avoid splits is lots of moisture (through good conditioners, honey, etc) and gentler handling. When I start ripping through my hair with my comb (I stopped brushing because I would just rip through tangles and that would tear and break my hair), I see more breakage. I have to treat my hair gently.

I won't ever have NO splits, my hairtype isn't the type, I don't think, but compared to where I was when I came here, my ends are practically split-free.

[SpecialKitty]

Welcome, Kate! :waving: Just browse around the site and you will feel at home in no time. There's lots of great information here!

Our hair appears to be a similar type so I'll tell you what works for me:

-- very simple routine with simple, natural ingredients
-- no heat styling at all
-- wear up most of the time
-- minimize brushing, combing and handling of hair
-- eat healthy diet
-- multi vitamin & other supplements as needed

Have fun!!

[Coriander]

Welcome, Kate1 :)

I'll put in for you what is working for me, but you need to figure out how your own hair reacts to things like silicones in your shampoo/conditioner and proteins, etc.

* I shampoo as little as I can stand it, probably twice a week or three times if I'm near my cycle. I now use a Conditioner-Wash-Conditioner cycle, which allows the length of my hair to get through a washing without being totally stripped of oils.

* I gave up my brushes, all of them, and now use a wide-toothed seam-free wooden comb which I can't express enough how much I love it.

* I do a deep treatment once a week.

* I am wearing my hair up every day now. Before I started doing this I had split ends that were ridiculous. Even having it down in a braid causes the ends to rub against my clothing, chair, backpack and I will have to cut away any splits when I get home.

* I switched to metal-free hair elastics and don't tighten them as tightly around the ends anymore. This has helped!

* I take a vitamin called UltraNourish-Hair from GNC which has goodies like biotin, amino acids and MSM in it (just to name a few). I also take flaxseed oil caplets, acidophilus and gingerroot for my hair as well as a mess of other things for my body.

If you've not yet gone through the "New - Start Here" forum and the "VIT - Very Important Threads" Thread, then I do recommend them :) I still read them!

Have a great time here, and let us know if you have any other questions. :flower:

[Kate1]

Thanks everybody, I'll buy some of those vitamins soon and try them, and I'll start doing the condition-wash-condition thing 'Coriander' suggested, thanks again. :)

[SimplyLonghair]

Welcome and good luck on your journey! I would recommend adding on new thing at a time to what you do to your hair. That way you know what works for you and what doesn't and it is easy to just go back a step. Take it one step at a time and enjoy your journey along the way! :D

[Melisande]

Kate, welcome, and you had some great advice and links here already.

I want to state some obvious things that are more important than one might think.

There are no quick fixes. Implement changes over time, and after a while you'll see the results. There is no miracle pill, brush or shampoo that will work overnight. Patience, patience, patience...

Good hair care is not a question of spending loeads of money on expensive products. Good hair care is about finding a routine that puts as little stress on your hair as possible, tweaking the routine when necessary and sticking to it where possible. Simple products are often better than expensive ones, and the best helpers may be sitting on your kitchen shelf.

Embrace your hairtype, don't work against it. Forget the pantene commercial look and other artifical hypes. Disover the beauty of your hair, its structure and characteristics, and don't try to change it drastically.

Understand the different needs of scalp (more like skin on other parts of you body) and hair (more like fingernails). Treat scalp and hair differently.

Write down your experiences. It's so easy to forget what helped and what didn't.

Take pictures!!! You will be amazed at your progress after 3, 6 and 12 months. I promise.

You are very young. Lucky you to discover the basics of healthy hair care so early in life.

Happy growing!

[MadPirateBippy]

Good hair care is not a question of spending loads of money on expensive products. Good hair care is about finding a routine that puts as little stress on your hair as possible, tweaking the routine when necessary and sticking to it where possible. Simple products are often better than expensive ones, and the best helpers may be sitting on your kitchen shelf.

Happy growing!

What she said. That, and the articles and VIT threads are amazing and worth reading.