Trying to grow your hair long can be frustrating, especially if you start from a habit of dying, straightening, or cutting your hair short. Some of the best tips for growing healthy and long hair, such as frequent trims, can seem counterintuitive, but others can have lasting benefits in nail growth and skin health. By keeping track of the changes you have made and the progress resulting from them, you can see better hair health and longer hair throughout your journey.
Repair Damaged Hair
If your hair looks and feels like straw or dried leaves, it is time to focus on repairing it before trying to grow it. Restoring the hair disulfide bonds with the proper hair care regimen can reduce tangles, breaks and dryness. You can improve your hair by detangling it before shampooing, cooling your shower while washing it, and focusing on scalp care. Be sure to shampoo less and hydrate more for the best results. Finding products and recommendations for your hair type is essential to repairing the damage you have. Luckily, you can find resources online to help you determine what products you need to succeed.
Trim the Ends
It may seem counterintuitive to trim your hair regularly when you are trying to grow it out, but cutting an inch or two off now and then will aid in the health of your hair and reduce the number of tangles and breakage you experience. This is because you will trim any split ends and accruing damage before they can further tangle and break your hair. A recommended timeframe is every eight weeks, but keep an eye on your ends to ensure you do not need a trim sooner than that or even push off the cut for a week or so.
Adjust Your Diet
Like the rest of you, your hair is made up of the nutrition you use to fuel your body. If there is enough protein in your diet, your hair will grow strong and have a brilliant shine. This does not mean you suddenly have to start eating copious amounts of meat and nuts, but keep an eye on how much protein is in your diet. Adding a multivitamin designed to help the health of hair, nails and skin to your morning routine is also a good idea.
Avoid Heat and Chemical Styling
Heat and chemicals damage your hair, so to keep it growing longer and healthier, it is vital to avoid styling options such as bleach, perms and excessive heat. If you must use a heated straightener or curling iron to style your hair, use lower heat settings and apply a heat protectant before styling. Coloring your hair can be tempting, especially if you have light enough hair to follow colorful hair trends without bleaching it, but the chemicals in hair dye can dry out your hair, making it dull and brittle.
Keep a Hair Journal
Hair does not grow quickly, even when healthy, so it can be challenging to see your progress without visual reminders such as benchmark photos and growth logs. One of the best ways to ensure that you can continue growing longer and healthier hair is to keep a journal of your hair care routine, goals and opinions of products, tools and equipment. By recording the current state of your hair now and at the end of each week or month, you can chart vital statistics such as shine, length and frizz to track your progress and stay motivated for healthier and longer hair.
The top tips for hair growth mainly focus on the health of your hair and how to improve and maintain the state of your hair to encourage growth and discourage breakage. These tips include hydrating your hair, trimming the ends and maintaining the proper diet for healthy hair, skin and nails. By keeping track of your progress and routine in a hair journal, you can be reminded of how your hair has changed during the journey and stay motivated for the future.
