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acmusic
June 16th, 2011, 01:57 PM
Hi I'm new to the "growing hair out" thing and I have a few questions! I have bra strap length hair that's pretty straight/kinda wavy when it dries naturally, though I haven't hair typed it yet.
I've been wondering:
Can you both grow your hair out to waist length and still get highlights in your hair?
What about layers? I have layers in my hair and I was just wondering if that still counts as growing my hair out even though I plan on keeping layers in my hair.
I condition - wash - condition every other day. Is that too much? How can I wash less without my hair getting so greasy?
Thank you!

Anje
June 16th, 2011, 02:08 PM
Can you both grow your hair out to waist length and still get highlights in your hair?
It really depends on how resilient your hair is to the lightening and how much lighter they take it. There are folks here who bleach their hair and continue to grow it, and others who find that highlighted hair breaks off. Giving the highlighted parts some extra protein/reconstructor treatments often helps them stay resilient, but bleaching will weaken the hair.

What about layers? I have layers in my hair and I was just wondering if that still counts as growing my hair out even though I plan on keeping layers in my hair.
Layers are OK. It's about doing what you want to with your hair. Some of us prefer no layers because it's easier to style and braid without having ends stick out, or because we want our hair to look as thick as possible at the ends, but that's all personal preference.

I condition - wash - condition every other day. Is that too much? How can I wash less without my hair getting so greasy?
Washing less means less wear and tear, but every other day isn't at all unusual. I find I get less greasy if I wash with conditioner only, because my scalp reacts to the drying tendencies of shampoo by making more oil. So using a milder wash method and going an extra day between washes works really well for me. Other people find that they produce the same amount of oil no matter what they do.

pepperminttea
June 16th, 2011, 03:46 PM
Can you both grow your hair out to waist length and still get highlights in your hair?
Bleach is inevitably very damaging, but there are members here that make it work - FrannyG has beautiful bleached hair in amazing condition, as does Ericthegreat, among others. :) Applying coconut oil to the hair before bleaching can help minimise the damage. The bleach will make the highlighted hair a lot more porous, so it'll need more help from you to stay moisturised - using protein treatments followed directly by deep moisture treatments will help.

What about layers? I have layers in my hair and I was just wondering if that still counts as growing my hair out even though I plan on keeping layers in my hair.
If you like layers, go for it. :) I grew mine out since I wear my hair up a lot, and the layers popping out were driving me a bit batty. :o If you wear your hair down a lot though, why not? They can add a lot of movement, and if your hair's thick and heavy, in summer the reduced weight would be especially welcome.

I condition - wash - condition every other day. Is that too much? How can I wash less without my hair getting so greasy?
Some members do wash everyday, it's very much down to what you want to do, and what works for you. There's no set formula, it's just a case of experimenting until you find a routine that your hair and scalp like. :D I wash my hair once a week; the first three or four days, my roots are passable, but the last few days there is definitely noticeable natural oil. I'm personally okay with that, and my scalp is happier doing it's own thing, but you might be different.
The reason a lot of people try to stretch washes is to use harsh sulphate shampoo less, since used too often it can make your scalp over-produce oil. Could you try CO washing (conditioner only) (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2898)? That would mean you could wash as often as you liked without worrying that you're constantly stripping your scalp. :) It's still more wear and tear than washing less often, but you might find your scalp's happier that way, and calms down with the oil a bit.
If you do try to stretch washings though, just go one day at a time, until your scalp's adjusted. Wearing your hair up helps hide the oilies a lot more; nothing like a bit of 'natural product' to keep the frizzies at bay. ;)

Madora
June 16th, 2011, 10:31 PM
I can only reply to the hair washing question.

Every time you wash your hair, you remove a little bit of the natural oil in it. Frequent washing will, in time, rob your hair of its natural oil, leaving it with the consistency of straw.

You can keep your hair looking good by brushing it daily with a pure boar bristle brush (no synthetics, no nylon!). If you want to wash it once a week, I think that would be better than washing every other day.

However, I don't know if you're an active person..or perhaps have a scalp that tends towards oiliness..in which case, washing every other day might be more advantageous to your situation.

I still recommend brushing, every day, as a way to keep the hair clean and looking well groomed. Be sure and keep your brush squeaky clean too. I wash mine every other day.

UltraBella
June 16th, 2011, 10:57 PM
Until two days ago my hair was brushing tailbone and was frequently highlighted. My hair is quite resistant to damage, but not all hair can take it. It certainly can be done, but you have to be careful.
My hair was also layered at tailbone length and many here have layers. Since my trim, my hair is a bit past bra strap length and very layered now. I love it ! Layers are not for everyone, but if you like them you can keep them while you are growing, it's an individual preference.

Roscata
June 17th, 2011, 10:25 AM
Can you both grow your hair out to waist length and still get highlights in your hair?
Yes. If you want to minimize peroxide damage you could do an overnight coconut oiling followed by bleaching on the still oiled hair (more info here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53786&highlight=coconut+oil)), remember to do root touch-up only (after the first time) and to use a low volume developer. Like it was mentioned before FrannyG bleaches her hair and manages to grow it out beautifully, she has a blog with her methods of hair care and advice here (http://www.frannyslonghairstyles.com/haircare.htm).

What about layers?
Yes. They might make it a bit difficult to put your hair up in protective updos that look polished, or to have braids that don't have little pieces of hair sticking out, but that won't prevent you from growing it, it will just give a messy/modern look to your updos. Make sure whoever cuts them in doesn't use a razor and cuts it with scissors to make it harder for you to get split ends.

I condition - wash - condition every other day. Is that too much?
It's kind of a difficult question, it's too much if you think it's too much. If your hair refuses to cooperate when you try to stretch washes for longer than a 1-3 months period of adjustment then it's what's best for your hair. It really depends from person to person. You could do an overnight coconut oiling before washing your hair to prevent dryness from natural plant shampoos, to condition hair and help prevent protein loss (link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53786&highlight=coconut+oil)).

How can I wash less without my hair getting so greasy?
I'm just going to pretend you use conventional shampoo and conditioner and say that trying a gentler washing method might get your scalp to stop producing as much sebum (the stuff that makes your scalp look greasy). Here are some alternatives: Conditioner Only Washes (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=18), sulfate free shampoo (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=34009), soapnut wash (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=95) and other natural ways to wash hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=134). You might also want to check out the The Official "Stretching Washes" Thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56574&highlight=stretching+washes) for other ideas. Stretching washes can be a long process so arm yourself with patience lol.

ETA: Welcome to LHC!

Good luck reaching waist. :D

spidermom
June 17th, 2011, 11:16 AM
About the highlighting - my hair couldn't. I only had highlights done once, and the highlighted hair poofed out; it was so strange-looking! Plus it dried out and had terrible splits. My hair likes to split even without highlights, so getting highlights was asking for trouble.

I think it's best to wash hair when it needs to be washed, but do your best to minimize it because repeated wetting/drying in and of itself is damaging over time. With my length, I've been experimenting with securing my length in a plastic bag to keep it dry while washing my scalp. I think my length needs to be washed about every 3 weeks but my scalp is too oily to tolerate after about 4 days.

Oh, and I almost always dilute my shampoo in some warm water for washing. It's much easier to get all over my scalp that way plus makes for a mild washing solution.