I met a retired metal guitarist recently and asked him for long hair advice...

[That Purple Guy]

He showed me pictures of him in his hayday when he was in a metal band, and his hair was passed his butt! I told him 'I've always wanted that, but my hair (halfway down my back) has been the same length for YEARS. Is it just genetic for some guys? Is this just the LIMIT of how long my hair will grow?'

He said 'Mane and Tail, and a good Vitamin E supplement.'

I think I tried Mane and Tail years ago, but I heard something about sulfates and defaulted to 'Oh, I guess I should stop using it.'

And Vitamin E... I'm not sure I've ever tried supplements of it. I've taken Biotin before. Are there major differences between the two?

Basically, I'd love expert advice about the pros and cons of Mane and Tail, and how helpful Vitamin E is versus Biotin. Or in general. Yeh. >8C

Thanks if you can help a guy out~

[Ylva]

Mane and Tail to me has always seemed like a good basic sulfate shampoo. Nothing strikes me about it. And of course sulfates aren't evil, they just don't suit everyone, but that's how it is with nearly everything. If your hair and especially scalp is okay with sulfates, then by all means, use them!

Differences between vitamin E and biotin? Well, biotin is a B vitamin. I've used vitamin E topically on my scalp for hair growth. I didn't notice any difference with and without it, because it's the scalp massage that does the most in terms of hair growth.

[cjk]

Vitamins of any sort are supplements. In other words, they supplement what you get in your diet.

If you are deficient, a supplement will make up the difference and be beneficial. If you're not deficient, they won't.

[blackgothicdoll]

I LOVE Mane and Tail, but it is a protein-based conditioner (not sure about the shampoo). Not everyone has protein sensitive hair, but when I used it I would alternate between that and a moisturizing conditioner. I would only use the shampoo once a week or less back when I used it, since I find SLS shampoos drying to my hair, but honestly the Mane and Tail wasn't too drying if I remember correctly. I don't think that's a big deal, if your hair doesn't mind.

A perfect segway into this, is that Sunflower oil is packed in vitamin E. Try doing a pre-poo with warm sunflower oil, massaging into your scalp. Then you could use the Mane and Tail to clean out the oil, the oil will serve as a buffer not to strip your hair. You can oil after conditioning too, if your hair likes it.

I think knowing your hair type would help others give advice.

You can find a vitamin E vitamin in the vitamin section of your Wal Mart, Target or pretty much any store. Little yellow capsules. I would always recommend vitamin E over biotin, as long as you aren't taking too much. Vitamin E is good for your skin and hair, it provides moisture for your skin due to its fatty composition. Biotin relates to metabolic process, so if you're at a perfect balance, I feel like biotin can cause issues. That's why people get pimples or gain weight.

[lapushka]

He showed me pictures of him in his hayday when he was in a metal band, and his hair was passed his butt! I told him 'I've always wanted that, but my hair (halfway down my back) has been the same length for YEARS. Is it just genetic for some guys? Is this just the LIMIT of how long my hair will grow?'

He said 'Mane and Tail, and a good Vitamin E supplement.'

I think I tried Mane and Tail years ago, but I heard something about sulfates and defaulted to 'Oh, I guess I should stop using it.'

And Vitamin E... I'm not sure I've ever tried supplements of it. I've taken Biotin before. Are there major differences between the two?

Basically, I'd love expert advice about the pros and cons of Mane and Tail, and how helpful Vitamin E is versus Biotin. Or in general. Yeh. >8C

Thanks if you can help a guy out~

Mane n Tail is a good product, but so are so many other products. If your hair stops growing, I doubt it's the product you're using.

And oiling is always beneficial; there are several methods, rinse-out oil (see signature), or pre-poo oiling. Not necessarily with vit. E, you can use whatever oil is appealing to you, even coconut or olive oil, from the cooking section.

[Alibran]

It might be nothing to do with his product choices and just that he has tough hair that just keeps getting longer and doesn't break easily. Mine is like that. When I was a kid, I had really long hair that got that way because I (apparently) screamed if anyone came near me with scissors. Oh ... hang on, I still do that.

[Eireann]

I recently met a woman with hair down to her knees, thick healthy and all one length. She said her hair just grows like a weed. She’s had it pixie short and floor length. Some folks have all the luck!

[Doreen]

I'm no expert, but I think you should try experimenting a bit and see if you notice any difference for yourself! I can't say much about vitamin E or biotin but at least for me personally, sulfate shampoos work great and don't seem to have inhibited my growth. You might try monthly measuring to track your progress.

[That Purple Guy]

Thanks for all the replies. By the way, I asked a friend (who is going to salon school) if she could tell me what my hair type was (because I had no idea), and she said: 'Thin Medium.'

So I have 'Thin Medium' hair, whatever that means. Also she said I had some dead hair I should cut off. Does that affect hair growth at all? xD

Also said something about Kerotin? Is that any good or just some snake oil? :P

[lapushka]

Thanks for all the replies. By the way, I asked a friend (who is going to salon school) if she could tell me what my hair type was (because I had no idea), and she said: 'Thin Medium.'

So I have 'Thin Medium' hair, whatever that means. Also she said I had some dead hair I should cut off. Does that affect hair growth at all? xD

Also said something about Kerotin? Is that any good or just some snake oil? :P

You can measure your circumference; make a ponytail (be sure to get all your hair in) and then measure around it (don't include the elastic, kind of goes without saying but still thought I'd mention it). This will put you in i, ii, or iii for a category and this is the thickness of your hair, how much you have of it.

Thin, normal, or coarse is what one strand of hair is like.

Get back to us with that. We'll see if it's "thin, medium".