How To Grow Healthy Long Hair (2)
Limit hot tool use
Damage to the hair can frequently be attributed to styling the hair with hot tools such as hot rollers, flat irons, blow dryers, or curling irons. Using these hot devices can cause dryness and breakage that lead to split ends. Hair growth decreases because the extreme temperatures injure the cuticle of the hair.
Unlike our skin, hair has no sensation to tell you that you are burning it up, so using protective creams and sprays is absolutely necessary to help avoid the destruction and harm that hot tools can cause. If you know you have to flat iron your hair, then let it air dry naturally so that you are not giving your hair a double dose of damage by blow-drying and flat-ironing it.
Warm weather summons activities in the sun, trips to tanning beds and outings to popular destinations such as the beach and pools. The salt from the ocean and chlorine from the pool can certainly do a number on our hair. Before you go to the beach or pool, wet your hair with water from the shower. The hair is like a sponge and will absorb clean water instead of water with salt or chlorine in it.
Next, apply a coat of environmental hair protectant that has sunscreen in it. Exposure to UVA and UVB rays has been shown to hinder the growth of hair, influence melanin production, and injure follicles. If you don't want to put sunscreen in your hair, try a trendy wrap, scarf, or fabulous hat. Remember to condition your hair right after.
What you can do now
There are a few things you can put into effect right away to help your hair continue to progress in length and flourish.
- For instance, you could be putting stress on your hair by using hard elastic bands or tight clips, making it prone to breaking. Always work with dry hair; it is most fragile when wet.
- Buy a natural bristle brush to distribute the oils down the hair shaft. These oils often become trapped at the scalp and the longer the hair is, the more challenging it is for the sebum to make its way down the shaft of the hair.
- Purchase a silk pillowcase. It will eliminate unnecessary friction and abrasion on the hair.
- Scalp massages with beneficial oils not only stimulate blood flow to the scalp to help aid in healthy root development but it also sloughs off dead skin (think of it like an exfoliation process). It’s like a facial for the scalp… and as a bonus, it feels amazing!
- Start taking a multivitamin, biotin, and vitamin E supplement.
- Chemicals, such as hair dye, perms, relaxers, and bleach are the most damaging to hair growth out of all sources of damage. However, if you must color your hair, try using an all-natural color, such as henna or organic coffee grounds. When coloring your hair, do not pull the color through each time. Do a root touch-up every 10 weeks and pull color through every third coloring.
- Avoid bleaching at all costs while you are trying to grow your hair out. It makes hair brittle and more prone to snapping off and breaking.
- Limit all of the hot tools you can use during the journey of growing your hair out. There are countless ways to curl your hair without using a curling iron. If you must use heat on your hair, remember to apply a heat protectant serum before using the hot tool. Always try out the lowest heat setting first and work your way up from there.
For particular women, long hair is an age-old beauty trend that will forever be a desire. At some point in a woman's life, she will want to "try out" a long style. Sometimes genetics do not allow us to have our ideal physical features such as blue eyes or long hair, but there are things we can do to give our genes a run for their money.
The best thing you can do for your hair is to take care of it. Don't over-process it, avoid tight hair ties, and don't brush it when it's wet. Do your scalp massages, treat it with a good hair mask (egg whites work wonders)... treat yourself to a sweet silk pillowcase. Purchase a good shampoo that is free of silicones in it.
If you put these excellent tips into play, you are sure to be well on your way to long, shiny, and healthy hair. Check out additional hair care articles on Hairfinder to help you gather more expert advice and tips on how to keep your hair healthy and stylish at the same time!
©Hairfinder.com
See also:
Hair growth calculation
Eco friendly hair products
