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You love the idea of having long and healthy hair, and you feel pangs of jealousy whenever you see anyone else have the hair you want. You ask yourself how it is even possible that they can grow such long beautiful hair that is healthy and free of split ends. That is because whenever you attempt to grow your hair long, it becomes messy, and your hair has plenty of split ends.
The good news is that you can achieve having beautiful long hair just like those who have it who you envy. However, there is a guarantee that those who have that luscious long hair did not get lucky with it. Those people worked at it too. Listed below are the tips they likely utilized for growing long healthy natural hair.
- 1. Take Care Of Your Scalp
One key factor for growing long, healthy, and natural hair is to invest in scalp care. One of your scalp’s key components is the dermis, which has the collagen, fat cells, blood vessels, glands, hair follicles, and elastin fibers. The other key element is the epidermis is where the hair grows. If you don’t take proper care of your scalp, that interferes with how well your hair grows.
That means you don’t want to get scrubs that can take nutrients away from your dermis. Use oils instead that contain citrus-based oils, tea tree, or peppermint that enrich the scalp. They also keep harmful microbes at bay.
- 2. Trim Your Hair Every 10 To 12 Weeks
Trimming your hair to keep it long sounds counter-intuitive. However, the matter is that you need to trim your hair every 10 to 12 weeks to help your hair remain healthy as it grows. If you don’t trim your hair, you will end up with split ends, which will require you to get a much deeper haircut instead of which you don’t want.
A trim to help remove split ends means cutting off no more than an eighth of an inch of your hair every two and a half to three months. That helps keep your hair healthy and neat as it grows.
- 3. Eat Nutrient-Rich Meals
There is a good chance you don’t get the nutrients required to remain strong and enhance healthy hair growth. You want to stick to nutrient-rich foods such as citrus fruits, leafy greens, root vegetables, dairy, avocado, eggs, nuts, lean meats, and whole-grains. Foods rich in Vitamins A, C, D, E, folic acid, and biotin are the required nutrients to help promote hair growth.
If you don’t eat balanced meals, you will not get the nutrients you need to stay healthy. In addition to that, your hair health suffers. You can always consult a dietician for helpful advice. You can look into taking hair growth vitamins; however, there is no regulation by the FDA, which means they can contain harmful ingredients. You are better off with getting the nutrients from food and regular vitamin supplements.
- 4. Shampoo Less Often And Use More Conditioner
If you are using shampoo daily, then it is time to lessen the frequency of how much you use it. That is because most shampoos contain sulfates that remove natural oils required to promote hair growth. You can always get a shampoo that has no sulfates. However, if you do, wash your hair every other day instead of daily.
The purpose of shampoo is to wash away dirt and grime, and it is not necessary to wash your hair daily. Allow your hair to thrive in its natural oils. You also want to use plenty of conditioners to promote healthy oil production, and it is excellent for reducing split ends. Therefore, shampoo a lot less and use more conditioner instead.
- 5. Rinse Your Hair With Cold Water
The idea of cold water pouring on your head sounds uncomfortable. However, if you wash your hair with cold water towards the end of your shower, you are doing your hair plenty of good. Cold water not only helps prevent snags, heat damage, and tangles, but it locks in moisture. You don’t have to stand in the shower for very long with cold water all over your head. If you pour cold water for a few seconds at the end of your shower, that will pay off and contribute to healthy hair growth.
- 6. Limit The Use Of Heat Tools
If you are using curling wands, hair straightening brushes, or other heating tools too often, then it is time to cut back on how often you use them. The heat from the frequent usage of these tools can easily damage your hair, which will hinder its proper growth. If your hair is healthier, it will grow longer and faster as well.
If you cannot limit how often you use these tools, then it is critical to use a heat protectant before you use it. Even if you use the tools sparingly, you want to use the heat protectant on your hair.
- 7. Keep Away From Bleach
If you want to dye your hair, then go for the premium dye. Yes, you will pay more, but you know that saying that you get what you pay for, right? Using bleach on your hair will open up your hair cuticles, which cause damage, especially to darker hair. That increases the chances of the hair breaking off and splitting as the bleach causes your hair to become more brittle and weak. If your hair keeps splitting, your hair won’t grow very long, which is the last thing you want. Go for the premium dye because your hair stays safe.
- 8. Be Gentle As You Brush Your Hair
You know how critical it is to brush and comb your hair regularly. However, if you are rough as you do it, that causes your hair to break and damages it. When you hear your hair strands breaking from brushing too hard, then you are not brushing gently. That usually happens when you brush wet hair just after getting out of the shower for detangling. The best way to brush your hair detangle your hair is to start brushing from the bottom strands and work your way up. As you brush, be gentle as you go and don’t brush tangles out aggressively.
- 9. Swap Your Cotton Pillowcase With A Silk One
Have you been waking up with tangled and knotted hair? Your cotton pillowcase is to blame for that, and it is time to remove those pillowcases. Instead, go and invest in some silk pillowcases. They are gentle on your hair and will not cause the friction that cotton ones do. You will also love those pillowcases because they are quite soft to the touch, and they look great. You will feel like a Queen sleeping on those pillows, which is a nice bonus.
- 10. Use A Microfiber Towel To Dry Your Hair
The first thing you probably do after your bath is to take your plush bath towel and dry your hair. That is never a good idea because those towels are rough on your delicate hair as you dry it off. That causes breakage and will make it harder for your hair to grow nice and long. Therefore, the best towel to invest in is the microfiber towel, as it is much gentler on your hair. Your hair will grow quicker and not break if you use a microfiber towel to wrap your hair after your shower.
Conclusion
If you wanted long hair but kept cutting it because you thought that was the only way to keep it neat and healthy, that was never necessary. You can have long and healthy and natural hair as long as you take care of it as you grow it. The ways to care for your hair as you grow it are straightforward and outlined in the article.
It would be best if you also were consistent with caring for your hair as you keep growing it to stay healthy. And you can finally enjoy having that long hair that you have always wanted.