tips for growing long hair

[Amna]

Hi,

I am new to this site and loving it already. I have fine thin hair. I just wanted to know what should be the easy routine for growing long healthy hair. I always try to grow my hair long but end up cutting them short because the ends become rough and thin.

[florenonite]

Take care of it, and wear it up regularly.

Read this article for information on how to look after your hair: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8

[marajade]

1) Get a nice trim to get rid of any dead/split ends. Consider having a friend do this if you don't want to go to a salon. Don't think it has to be 4 inches, a small trim might work.

2) Your first few months is going to be about finding out what works for you and what doesn't! Find out what your hair likes as far as products go- cones or no cones, CWC or CO etc etc.

3) Read the article in the above post-- its all about daily handling of your hair. If you have even slightly wavy hair or better, you might consider throwing away all brushes and using combs only! The only exception to this might be getting yourself a Boar Bristle Brush- you can get these from any beauty supply place-- I wouldn't go cheap, though, this should be a quality brush.

4) Try to seek out others that have your own hair type and start out with what they do as far as products and haircare are concerned. This will give you a jumping off point to start finding your routine.

5) Protective updos! This is hard for many people who have short hair at first. Find out what braid or bunning styles you can try that keep your hair protected and restrained in day to day activities.

Hope this helps!!

[thunderlilies]

1)Use a comb when brushing wet hair
2)Moisturize it - honey is wonderful!
3)Updos are great for keeping it safe!

[TammySue]

Welcome Amna!

My hair is not really that fine, but my ends are very thin. I used to do exactly what you said - let it grow and then ended up cutting off several inches just to be back where I started! This went on for many years!

I have discovered that frequent (every 2-3 months) small trims (1/4"-1/2") have helped very much.

Enjoy yourself here on LHC and I wish you magical hair growth as you learn more about the care of your hair! :magic:

[Arniky]

good useful information for growing longhair

[BlueRose4217]

As a fellow 1aF - I've found that frequent deep conditioning treatments, gentle care, infrequent trimming and patience is the key! HTH! :)

[akurah]

Couple of things--
GET A SEAMLESS COMB. A bone comb from Heavenly harvest is good, a bakalite comb from Hairsense is better (in my opinion, others may disagree). Carved combs as opposed to combs cast from a mold are much kinder to your hair and don't have seams to tear your hair up.

Wear your hair up or contained. Most of the new damage I have on my hair is caused by my boyfriend's car door, my clothes, and my backpack.

If your hair is fine or fragile, do not constantly comb or brush it.

If you like brushes (like I do), invest in a Denman. They're available at Sally's.

[Ohio Sky]

One thing thats helped me in making my ends look fuller and just plain better is less frequent washing, and experimenting with poo bars. Poo bars = lots of body, though it takes a bit of getting used to (Im still trying :o)

[Delilah]

Experiment experiment experiment. Travel to new and exotic health stores and drugstores and buy exciting things for your hair. Read the labels and decide if your hair likes cones and oils. Try an SMT. Try a Chagrin Valley shampoo bar. Try a heavy oiling.

Buy a few nice-looking and non damaging hair beaks/forks/ties so you'll be more inclined to tie your hair up.

Get in the long hair mindset. Learn to think about the damage you are doing every time you are rough with your detangling or heat process/dye your hair.

Read up on herbal treatments, you may learn to love henna, cassia, or indigo.

Let your hair be dirty sometimes. Nobody really cares, and your hair will thank you for it. Put it up in a bun and forget about it. Eventually you'll be able to wash it less and save damage from washing and detangling.

Look up information on those with a similar hairtype and try the things that have worked for them. I have a similar hairtype and my routine is listed in my blog.

Read this forum to keep yourself motivated.

[HairColoredHair]

I cannot recommend wearing your hair up more... It helped me get past lengths I'd never been to. :)

[addikted]

Silk/satin pillowcases and treat your hair as if it is fragile silk.

[loves2spin]

If you choose to use a comb, be sure it is a VERY wide toothed comb and does not have anything rough on it that would snag your hair. I got one at Sally's Beauty Supply that is great and was not expensive. Also, I got a boar bristle brush at Wal-mart that I LOVE and it was cheap. It is brown wood. The part where the bristles are is sort of rectangular. I don't use it much, though. I shampoo, rinse, use a lot of conditioner, rinse well, wrap my hair in a towel, gently, and then comb it carefully, starting at the ends and gradually working up. I use camelia oil on my face, so after I rub it on my face, I always run my hands over the ends of my wet (or dry) hair and that gives it a little oil. Then I air dry, and most of the time I keep my hair in up-dos to protect it. Good luck and welcome!

[Amna]

Thanks alot everyone. I am trying to do CWC twice a week. and am using coconut oil. trying to wear my hair up most of the time. I have used two oils evoo and coconut oil but with both I get a burning feeling on my scalp if I feel it for a day or so.

[CurlyOne]

Definitely wear it up as much as you can. My hair is very rarely loose, buns, figure eights, knots and other things are all great. They protect your hair, help hold in moisture and keep the ends from a lot of damage.

Get a BBB, they are great for smoothing flyaways and giving a polished look. At night I use it quite a bit to just distribute the oil from my scalp to the tips.

[EbonyCurls]

simple routine, minimal products, and cleanse and moisture works great for me! I try to keep my hair as balanced as possible.

[peachy.pudding]

What a great thread, i would suggest trying a mister, organic shampoos, acv rinces and honey, these things have saved my hair and scalp.. After that just let it do its thing and grow!!!!

[jojo]

nobody mentioned the obvious one-Don't cut!! sounds obvious but try spreading your cuts out to once twice a year, just snip the split ends off individually!