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10 TIPS FOR GROWING LONG HAIR {From moi, a licenced hairstylist} :)

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EEEEKKKK!!!!

Can you believe that Christmas is only 10 days away?? This month is flying by!

Is it a crazzzzzzy, busy, happy time for you and yours too?

As some of you know, I work as a full time hair stylist and this is the time of year that is the absolute busiest for me. Everyone wants to look good for Santa, for their Christmas parties and for those always unflattering Christmas morning photos where you don’t realize you have slobber stains on your cheeks till mid afternoon.

Lately I have been asked a bunch of questions about hair, but beyond being asked questions on how to treat troublesome tresses and how to tame unruly hair, I am asked “How do I get long hair?”

The truth is, we cant all be like Rapunzel with magically growing hair, but by keeping a few key points in mind along with tweaking our daily hair regimen and with a dash of patience we CAN in fact give Rapunzel and her lonnnnngggg hair a run for her money.

For those of you who have asked and for those of you who are curious on how to grow long hair, here are my top ten tips on how to grow your hair long and luscious without breaking the bank — or your ends. 😉

First and foremost find a stylist who you genuinely trust. Im not saying you need to be able to give them your first born child, but you DO need to trust their abilities and talent. Look at his or her work to see if they can deliver on what they promise. Check to see if they have clients who have hair colour, length and style that you would love to emulate and then discuss with them your commitment for growing out your locks. Long hair typically takes five or more years to grow. Think about it, the average persons hair will grow about half an inch a month and in a typical year their hair will grow six inches. Basically, you need to make a five year plan with you hair stylist.
Once you have a hairstylist on board with your commitment to growing your hair you need to make sure that your chosen stylist is passionate about quality coloring services. Let me explain, if you are highlighting or colouring your hair every few months, it is KEY that your stylist does not jeopardize your hair growth by overlaying lightener on already lightened (blonde) hair. (NOT ALL STYLISTS PUT IN THE TIME AND WORK TO AVOID DOING THIS!!!) If you have dark locks, make sure that your stylist is only retouching your regrowth at your scheduled appointments and being very selective when coloring the whole length of your hair. If you want long hair, you will want healthy hair and you cant achieve long, strong hair if you or your stylist are applying chemicals, of any form, on hair that has already been processed.
Now that you all are on the same wave length (no pun intended) you need to commit to visiting your stylist every 8 weeks for a small trim. I know, I know, this seems like it would be counteracting GROWING your hair, but trust me that by “dusting” the ends of your hair (that may be breaking or about to break) you can stop damage before it happens. When you get split ends through normal day to day wash and wear, those darn split ends will continue to split your hair strand until they are chopped off. True story. To maintain your length, annual trims are a must.
Skip the shower. This will be hard for most girls to hear, but ladies, if you are going to grow healthy hair you will need the natural oils of your scalp to condition your hair on the daily. If you are subjecting your hair to everyday shampooing, blow drys and hot tools, your hair will want a rest from all the heat, heat and more heat. My suggestion for all of you who are daily washers is to try cutting out one hair wash this week and the following week try cutting out two. You should be aiming to wash your hair only three times a week for optimal hair growth. TIP: When converting to washing your hair three times a week instead of seven, you may want to purchase a dry shampoo. I have clients that swear by dry shampoo and I know it can help you as you learn NOT to wash your hair daily.
Protect your hair. We all know to wear sunscreen when we are at the beach, but do you think of protecting your hair the same way?? If you are one of the lucky ones going somewhere south this winter, don’t forget to pack your sunhats. This is soooo important if you have processed hair and even more important if you are going to be swimming in chlorinated water. Wearing a hat over your hair can protect you from unwanted heat damage and it can also pull double duty as a way to avoid facial wrinkles. #winwin
If you are cutting out shampoos and blow drys you will most likely be relying on some styling tools in the morning to smooth your hair. If you are using a straightener for this make sure that you are extra careful smoothing and straightening the sections around your face. These delicate hairs are usually the first to get singed if you aren’t paying close enough attention. To avoid doing damage to the hair you have so carefully grown, keep your straightener at a very low heat when you are working around your hair line. If your straightener doesn’t have a heat dial (ask for a new one for Christmas!) and try to straighten the front sections FIRST, before your straightener heats to its maximum ability.
When you straighten or curl your locks make sure to section your hair and take small subsections at a time. Though it seems like one would be able to straighten their hair faster by taking large sections at a time, that is untrue. The only thing you will get from doing that is an uneven finish where some sections received all the heat and others received barely any. Be fair to your hair and use small sections. 😉
Be gentle. After you have figured out how to only wash your hair three times a week, I suggest you take special care when brushing out your wet locks. Section your hair and work slowly when combing out tangles and knots. Hair is more likely to stretch and break when it is wet so being gentle post shower will be amazing for your hair.
Be on a mission to condition. That sounds cute, but really, make sure that you are conditioning your hair every few weeks with a deep conditioning mask, and that you use hair serums and oils to add back the cnditioning agents that get stripped from your hair when you wash it. Besure your consitioners are free of silicone that build up over time on your hair and cause breakage. Also remember to apply your conditioner to the longest parts of your hair while avoiding your roots. Over time conditioner can plug your hair follicles and completely slow the growing process you are working so hard on achieving.
Lastly, remember that hair will not grow if you are not feeding it sufficently. Hair thrives off of a healthy diet complete with iron, zinc, viatmin C, and B vitamins. Iron is vital for transfering oxygen to all cells in the body, hair included, zinc helps your body repair damage to cells as well. Vitamin C is necessary for producing collagen which your hair is made of, B Vitamins dont help the hair necessarily grow but it does help the prevention of old hairs from falling out! Maintaining a healthy diet or supplementing with vitamins will definitely help you reach your goals or a head of long healthy hair!