During high school, I had this goal: to grow my hair long. As silly of a goal it may sound, I just really wanted long hair that practically reached my belly-button. I don’t know what it was, but I was obsessed with wanting “mermaid-like” hair that would flow out of my head, causing people to tell me my hair was like Rapunzel’s. I liked the longer style and wanted to have pretty, healthy hair. To achieve this goal, I spent weeks searching on health sites and beauty blogs for the best tips and tricks on how to grow your hair out, and I incorporated those tricks into my lifestyle. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on this topic, but after all my research, I’ve compiled a somewhat extensive list on how you can grow your hair out and make it healthier than ever.
Drink More Water
How is drinking water supposed to help my hair? Well, I can’t stress this fact enough. Drinking water is possibly the best thing you can do for your body overall. Water especially helps your skin, hair and nails (keeping it hydrated obviously) and it can help you lose weight and flush out toxins in your body. When you search for any tip to keeping any part of your body healthy, drinking water will always factor in to play.
Watch What You Eat
I’m not saying you have to diet if you want your hair to be long and healthy, but try incorporating new foods into your meals, specifically foods that will boost hair health. Eggs, salmon, nuts, and avocados are just a few foods that have been shown to promote hair growth. In addition, any food that has the vitamin Biotin in it will assist in making hair healthy (in addition to your nails and skin.) Feel free to also take some Biotin supplements that can be found at most drug stores.
Reduce the Amount of Heat You Use
A lot of beauty and health blogs will tell you to swear off heat if you want your hair to be long and strong. When growing my hair out I didn’t swear off heat, but I would only use it occasionally or when I really needed to. I let my hair air dry each time I got out of the shower, and I try to use heat-free ways to curl and straighten my hair. Reducing the amount of heat also applies to using hot water on your hair, so I rinse my hair in cool water towards the end of my shower.
Use the Right Hair Products
An ingredient I found that could potentially damage your hair, and is surprisingly found in most shampoos, is sulfate. Sulfate helps strip the grease and natural oils from your hair, yet those oils can be good for your hair. While growing my hair out, I used the “Not Your Mother’s” Way to Grow Long and Strong shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner which are sulfate free. When washing my hair, I shampoo my scalp for a few minutes, then leave the conditioner on the ends of my hair and wash it out at the end of my shower (with cold water) to really nourish the ends of my hair. Once out of the shower, I spray the ends of my hair with the leave-in conditioner.
Don’t Wash Your Hair Everyday
It’s actually healthy to let your hair get dirty every now and then. Washing your hair everyday strips the natural oils your hair needs to keep it moisturized, and it can cause your hair to become weak and brittle. Instead, try washing your hair every other day, or every two to three days. It sounds kind of gross (and it will be at first with how dirty your hair may seem) but use some dry shampoo to help hide the fact you didn’t wash your hair. Once you finally wash it again after not washing it for a few days, your hair will feel so much nicer and healthier.
Keep Your Hair Tamed
With long hair, things can get a little messy and often times, you’ll have to move a couple strands out of your face. If you know you’re doing something that will take a toll on hair, like riding in a convertible or talking a walk on a super windy day, make sure to tie your hair back so it won’t break and doesn’t get all knotted. Keeping your hair tamed also applies to when you go to sleep at night. It’s not such a great idea to sleep with your hair down, so instead tie it in a braid or bun.
Brush it Right
This simple trick can help strengthen your hair so much. Instead of brushing from the top down, brush from the bottom up. It prevents breakage and its and easier way to get out knots in your hair.
Get Trims Often
Since I decided I was going to grow my hair out, I haven’t gotten a legit haircut in years. Instead I get the ends of my hair trimmed. To keep your hair healthy, it’s important to get the dead ends of your hair trimmed every two to three months or so. Once you get your ends trimmed, your hair will grow back a little faster, whereas if you didn’t trim your ends, they’ll split up the strands of your hair.
The Inversion Method
I came across this method a lot upon doing my research. It’s basically a way in which you can grow an inch of hair in a week. The method instructs you to flip your head down and massage your scalp for four minutes each day with olive oil. I’ve tried it a couple times over the years and it’s tough to evaluate the results, but I would say it did assist a little in lengthening my hair. Flipping your head over and massaging it allows blood to rush to your scalp and it stimulates hair follicles that assist in growth.
Although these tips may seem like a lot in order to make your hair healthier and longer, the tip to keep in mind is to simply just take care of your hair.