What steps do I need to take to grow my hair long again?

[SophieFenton]

When I was younger I used to have gorgeous natural blonde hair down to my bum but at the age of about 12 or 13 I had to have it cut off because I went through an "experimental" phase with my hair. It got shorter and shorter and at the age of 16 I had it cut to just above my shoulders, I hated it and felt like crying but it had to be done. I stopped dying my hair for a while to let it grow and rarely used heat - only on special occasions. I managed to grow it back long enough for prom but since then it seems to have stopped about 2/3 cm above my bra strap. And it seems that when it grows longer I need another trim meaning it stays the same length and it's frustrating!! I'm now 18 and it's still stuck there!! I really want to get my hair to at least waist length, but clearly I'm doing something wrong.

I'm a training hairdresser meaning I have the luxury of using some of the best products on my hair and getting regular cuts for free, but with that comes lots of blow drying, straightening and general styling of my hair which kind of makes me flinch thinking about all the damage that's being done. I'm also bleach my hair, but I only do my roots now since the rest of my hair is done. But my ends seem to be really dry most of the time and I have quite thick frizzy hair with a slight wave to it, so I wonder if that's the reason. Basically, I want to know what steps I can take to make sure my hair grows and stays healthy to the length I want it, however I still want to stay blonde so is there a way to still touch up roots and grow my hair. I'm new to this so thanks for all your help :)

[spidermom]

Some hair takes bleach and some doesn't. I couldn't get away with it, even highlights completely destroyed the texture of my hair so that the highlighted areas fuzzed up and "floated" above the rest of my hair. It was truly horrible.

The first thing you need to do is be very honest about what bleaching has done to your hair. It may be that you have to make a choice - the color or more length, but not both.

Also, try to keep records and find out how fast your hair grows, and then trim no more than half that amount whenever you get a trim. For example, if you hair grows 1 inch in two months, only get a 1/2 inch trim every 2 months. Or grow for 4 months, and then get a 1-inch trim. Whatever schedule works best for you. You will have to be very precise about this if you don't want to end up at the same length every time.

Some people grow to their goal length without trimming at all, so feel free to try it, but I think that with the bleaching and styling that you do, you will need trims.

[Yame]

Some people are able to bleach and/or style their hair and still grow long hair because their hair is very resilient, but that isn't the case for everybody. Bleaching specifically is a very damaging process, and even on resilient hair will cause at least some damage... whether or not it will affect the general look of your hair and your growth will depend on your hair.

The advice generally given here is to avoid most or all things that can cause any amount of significant damage to your hair. Because if you are trying to grow long hair but damaging it at the same time, first of all your long hair is not going to look like it's in very good condition, and second you will have more breakage which will affect the look of your ends and even the growth, because if your longest hairs are breaking off, that could stall your growth.

For some people, it ends up being a choice. Do you want to be blonde, or do you want to have long hair? If you want to have long hair, stop bleaching. If you want to be blonde, keep bleaching and forget about having long hair. A lot of people on this forum have had to make certain "sacrifices" in order to have long hair.

[dulce]

Couldn't agree more with Yame and Spidermom!

[coffinhert]

There is an articles section here (I think it may be linked in the Newbies section) You should read the intro articles there. Also browse through threads here to see what is relevant to you.

Some places to start are:
- Bleaching may be damaging your hair so it is breaking off and not gaining length. Do you have lots of split ends or bent and broken ends? If so, it might be time re-evaluate bleaching. However, there -are- members on here with tailbone length bleached hair so it can be done. But it depends on your hair type. Like spidermom says, you might have to make a choice. Natural hair colors are very beautiful when grown very long.

- Shampoo can be really harsh. See if decreasing your shampoo and using just conditioner makes your hair softer. Or, put conditioner on the length of your hair before you shampoo the scalp, such that the shampoo doesn't get on the ends.

- Oiling is really good for hair. Coconut oil, olive oil, etc, read threads about this. Coconut and castor oil is what I use, I brush it into my ends with a boar bristle brush while it's still wet, and it's made my dyed hair much softer. It doesn't really stop my split ends from forming.

- Buy a silk or satin pillowcase (http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1384272-AA.shtml) so your hair doesn't catch on the pillowcase at night. This can make a huge difference, believe it or not.

- Avoid heat styling at all cost. Yeah, I know. But truth - honest brutal truth - that will mess up your hair for real, no bones about it. It will make your hair break and split at the ends. And you can't repair that damage, you have to grow it out. There are lots of heat-free styling methods on this website, I personally love pin-curls for that polished layer curl/waves look but there's lots of options.

- Brush your hair very gently. If you hear it snapping when you brush it, you're too rough. Consider purchasing a boar bristle brush (BBB) and a wide-tooth comb. Detangle with your fingers or the wide-tooth comb, and use the BBB to distribute your natural scalp oils or (like me) to brush coconut and castor oil along your length.

- Deep treatments like overnight coconut oiling, overnight avocado mash, Snowy Moon Treatment (there is a thread somewhere, maybe someone can link you?) which are washed out with repeated conditioner NOT shampoo usually. Leave your hair soft and thicker.

- Regular microtrims - like 1/4 inch, not more. This stops damage from traveling up, but you don't lose a lot of length. See if you can find a hairstylist buddy who understands this concept and get a microtrim once a month. A lot of LHC members do it themselves, I trim my own hair.

- Castor oil, when applied to the scalp, makes your hair grow faster according to many who have posted on here. There's a thread on it somewhere. I take just a little on my finger tips and rub into my scalp, then repeat, utnil the whole thing has a light coating of oil. I do this at night and it soaks in overnight, then I wash it or sometimes leave it.

Also if you're a hair dresser, be friendly and real for girls who want natural hair care (like henna), don't make fun of us or tell us we are ruining our hair. If a girl comes in with long hair wanting just a tiny trim, do it for her! Many of us have had stylists chop off so much and not understand that we are trying to grow it long. Kudos for you for finding LHC! There is SOOOO much to learn here. Read as much as you can. :)

[Amber_Maiden]

There is an articles section here (I think it may be linked in the Newbies section) You should read the intro articles there. Also browse through threads here to see what is relevant to you.

Some places to start are:
- Bleaching may be damaging your hair so it is breaking off and not gaining length. Do you have lots of split ends or bent and broken ends? If so, it might be time re-evaluate bleaching. However, there -are- members on here with tailbone length bleached hair so it can be done. But it depends on your hair type. Like spidermom says, you might have to make a choice. Natural hair colors are very beautiful when grown very long.

- Shampoo can be really harsh. See if decreasing your shampoo and using just conditioner makes your hair softer. Or, put conditioner on the length of your hair before you shampoo the scalp, such that the shampoo doesn't get on the ends.

- Oiling is really good for hair. Coconut oil, olive oil, etc, read threads about this. Coconut and castor oil is what I use, I brush it into my ends with a boar bristle brush while it's still wet, and it's made my dyed hair much softer. It doesn't really stop my split ends from forming.

- Buy a silk or satin pillowcase (http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1384272-AA.shtml) so your hair doesn't catch on the pillowcase at night. This can make a huge difference, believe it or not.

- Avoid heat styling at all cost. Yeah, I know. But truth - honest brutal truth - that will mess up your hair for real, no bones about it. It will make your hair break and split at the ends. And you can't repair that damage, you have to grow it out. There are lots of heat-free styling methods on this website, I personally love pin-curls for that polished layer curl/waves look but there's lots of options.

- Brush your hair very gently. If you hear it snapping when you brush it, you're too rough. Consider purchasing a boar bristle brush (BBB) and a wide-tooth comb. Detangle with your fingers or the wide-tooth comb, and use the BBB to distribute your natural scalp oils or (like me) to brush coconut and castor oil along your length.

- Deep treatments like overnight coconut oiling, overnight avocado mash, Snowy Moon Treatment (there is a thread somewhere, maybe someone can link you?) which are washed out with repeated conditioner NOT shampoo usually. Leave your hair soft and thicker.

- Regular microtrims - like 1/4 inch, not more. This stops damage from traveling up, but you don't lose a lot of length. See if you can find a hairstylist buddy who understands this concept and get a microtrim once a month. A lot of LHC members do it themselves, I trim my own hair.

- Castor oil, when applied to the scalp, makes your hair grow faster according to many who have posted on here. There's a thread on it somewhere. I take just a little on my finger tips and rub into my scalp, then repeat, utnil the whole thing has a light coating of oil. I do this at night and it soaks in overnight, then I wash it or sometimes leave it.

Also if you're a hair dresser, be friendly and real for girls who want natural hair care (like henna), don't make fun of us or tell us we are ruining our hair. If a girl comes in with long hair wanting just a tiny trim, do it for her! Many of us have had stylists chop off so much and not understand that we are trying to grow it long. Kudos for you for finding LHC! There is SOOOO much to learn here. Read as much as you can. :)


I agree with most of this.