The dream of long hair and the way to get there
The road to long hair can undoubtedly feel incredibly slow… Most of us also have some routines in everyday life that should be completely pushed to the door or at least rethought!
Did you know that on average our hair grows just one centimetre a month?
With average hair growth of just one centimetre, we need to think outside the box to speed up the process just a little.
Luckily, there’s help – and it’s right here! However, I should also point out that there is (of course) no magic formula that will magically make your hair grow overnight. You can, however, speed up the process and get longer hair faster.
Read on below for hairdresser’s tips, my top tips, on how you can achieve long, healthy and beautiful locks even faster.
1. Don’t skip a haircut
This point might be an eye-opener for many, but this is actually extra important if the desire is long hair. To get long hair, you need to cut it regularly.
In other words, you should prioritize a haircut if you want longer hair.
Cutting your locks regularly will trim your damaged and broken ends, while preventing further hair splitting.
If you first find yourself in a situation where you experience split ends, they will move up the hair shaft and split even more of it. It is therefore a good idea to have your ends cut regularly, although it may seem a little ironic to cut your hair to make it longer…
Split ends lead to broken hairs.
2. Cut down on daily hair washing
This topic has been covered many times, but it bears repeating. Skip the daily hair wash!
If you have a daily morning routine that includes washing your hair, you should change it. Washing your hair every day is not a good idea. However, we can quickly agree that freshly washed and fresh locks are great!
Every time hair is washed, it affects the scalp, including the scalp’s natural production of sebum and lipids.
Instead, switch to washing your hair two to three times a week. No doubt it will take some getting used to, but you’ll have more time in the morning AND you’ll have a healthier scalp, paving the way to long hair!
In the beginning, switching from daily hair washing to a few times a week will undoubtedly result in slightly oily hair. So use a dry shampoo on the days you feel the urge. Stick with it through the transition – you won’t regret it!
3. Choose a shampoo and conditioner that strengthens your hair
Maybe you’ve already thought about how to get longer hair, but it just wasn’t happening. Maybe your hair is breaking? If so, you might be using the wrong shampoo and conditioner, which is drying out your hair.
It doesn’t take hair products costing hundreds of pounds a bottle, but choose professional-quality products over the cheapest two-in-one solution from the supermarket.
There are actually specific hair care ranges for just damaged hair. These products strengthen hair fibres from root to tip, giving locks a good start for healthy (and faster) hair growth.
Good hair products make locks stronger and reduce the occurrence of broken hairs, which will undoubtedly help you grow long hair.
4. Choose a light hairstyle or skip it altogether
Did you know that our hair is most vulnerable when it’s wet? You should therefore avoid putting your hair up in a tight ponytail when it’s wet as it damages the strands. So wait until your hair is dry – or skip it altogether.
If your everyday look includes putting your hair up, perhaps even too tightly, you will find that it creates a lot of pressure on your hair roots in the scalp and that the hair strands break.
If you’ve been in the shower and your hair is wet, it’s extra fragile. You should therefore not rub it too much in the towel, comb it or put it up – when it is wet.
Instead, pat your hair lightly, let it air-dry, and keep it loose as much as possible.
5. Remember regular use of a good leave-in product
If you’re experiencing worn hair and broken strands, even a good shampoo and conditioner is rarely enough to restore your hair’s strength. So make sure you’re giving your hair the nourishment and care it needs.
For example, you can add extra nourishment and care with a good leave-in conditioner, sprayed or rubbed into the hair after washing.
Choose a leave-in product with protein or a variant specifically for damaged and dry hair. Protein also strengthens hair strands.
Did you know that our hair is made of protein? That’s exactly why hair needs protein to rebuild a strong structure in each hair strand.
Choose a leave-in that helps seal and strengthen hair as well as reduce the appearance of split ends. Remember to apply the product to towel-dried hair and (of course) not to rinse – it should stay in the hair.
6. Put your heat styling on hold (or drastically minimize it)
This point is basically about giving your hair a break from heat styling with straighteners, curling irons, blow dryers, etc.
A big culprit when it comes to weakened hair growth is our use of heat tools for styling the hair.
In the perfect world, you should let your hair air dry and let it unfold as nature intended.
If you have decided that NOW you are going to have long hair, then this point is incredibly important. More important than you might think.
IF you can’t do without your straight hair or curly locks and just have to use a heat tool, remember the heat-protecting hair product.
As far as possible, avoid hot air when blow-drying your hair, instead keep the hair dryer’s cold air button pressed.
7. Use a gentle hairbrush to detangle filtered locks
Your choice of hairbrush for tangled hair has just as big an impact on the well-being of your hair.
You should comb your hair with a special hairbrush, made for the specific purpose of combing out tangled hair, so that you do not damage or break the hair strands during the combing process.
Most hairbrushes in this category are used in the bath, but there are also some for outside the bath. Choose the one that best suits your needs and morning routine.
8. Change your pillowcase
Does it sound crazy if I write that the road to longer hair can also start in the bedroom?
You can actually sleep your way to longer hair if your pillowcase is up to it.
Few people know it, but sleeping on a cotton pillowcase is not good for our hair. When you turn your head on the pillow, the rough surface will create friction, which can eventually cause your hairs to break.
If you want longer hair, invest in a silk pillowcase – a silk pillowcase!
If you replace your pillowcase with a silk one, you will experience:
- Reduced friction against your hair when you turn your head on the pillow.
- Less tangled hair.
- Better moisture retention in the hair, as moisture is not absorbed by the cover.
Imagine how a real princess sleeps? It can only be on a silk bedspread, right?! So choose the right pillowcase for your hair!
9. Do your hairs have the right building blocks?
When it comes to our hair strands, there are (unfortunately) only a few things we can do to affect them from the inside, really.
As well as a good shampoo, conditioner and leave-in that also goes deep, we can make sure our locks have the right building blocks for healthy and effective hair growth.
Supplements in the form of hair vitamins, which can provide the body with everything the hair needs for healthy hair growth – can be a good bet for the right building blocks.
They’re available in boating pill and gum form. It might sound crazy, but choose hair vitamins for women if you’re a woman and hair vitamins for men if you’re a man. There’s actually a difference in what we need, though hair is hair.
Conclusion – the way to long hair
I hope the above tips can take you in the direction of long beautiful locks. I know that each and every point works, so incorporate them into your everyday life and give your hair the best start for good and healthy hair growth.