It can be frustrating to try to grow long hair these days. The more you treat it, the more frazzled and damaged your hair seems to become. And it can cost a lot of money to buy products that don't seem to help your hair grow much.
But if you learn to protect your hair from the things that damage it, you can grow much longer hair (and fuller and more beautiful hair) without the fancy products. Plus if you do decide to use those products, they can help your hair grow longer much more easily if your hair is healthy.
Instructions
1. Nutrition. You can't grow longer hair if your hair is not healthy. Your hair and nails are both dependent on a good diet. Iron, in particular, is necessary for long healthy hair. Next time your doctor orders a blood test for cholesterol, ask about tests for iron too, just to be sure you don't have a deficiency.
In the meantime, eat a healthy diet. Don't worry about iron supplements unless your doctor orders them. They can upset your stomach, and all you need for healthy hair is to make sure you aren't deficient. You can get plenty of iron with red meat, leafy green veggies and eggs.
2. If you want to grow long hair, you should protect it from the elements. Keep it out of the wind and sun. Sun in particular can not only dry your hair out, but the UV rays do damage to hair just like they do to skin.
Cover your hair with a scarf, or roll it up under a hat, and keep it that way when you don't need to show it off. You'd be surprised how much this little trick by itself will help you grow your hair long. And it will keep the longer hair out of your way once you have it too.
3. Don't use a blow dryer. The heat and abrasion of a blow dryer can do a lot of damage to your hair. If you feel you must use it, use it on the lowest heat setting.
As your hair gets longer, you may find it takes a very long time to dry. You may want to start washing it in the evening, so that it has overnight to dry.
4. Don't wash your hair too often. The best conditioner for your hair is its natural oils. You'll have to figure out for yourself how often is necessary, based on the oiliness of your scalp and other conditions, but pause to consider whether you need to wash the hair as often as you do.
Your hair will not only be healthier, but if you let it get a little dirtier before washing, it will be like you gave it a special oil treatment, and it will be fuller and bouncier when you do wash it. You can plan for that special day when you want your hair to be really at its best. (And besides, you're covering it up with a scarf or hat on the days when it doesn't matter anyway, right?)
5. Use a gentle shampoo. Shampoos have detergents in them that are designed to strip the oils out of your hair. This is necessary to get your hair really clean, but it also dries your hair out and damaged it.
Look for baby shampoos or those that advertise themselves as "non-detergent". If the soap is too gentle, you may find it leaves a little residue. You can get rid of that by either using a regular shampoo once in a while, or you can just use a baking soda rinse before washing once in awhile. (Don't do this too often - soda is basically like a detergent. It strips the oils out.)
6. The one commercial product that might do you some good in growing longer hair is a conditioner. Conditioners basically replace the oils stripped out by shampoo.
7. Trim your hair as it grows. While it doesn't actually get your hair to grow faster, if you trim the longest hairs, it will give the hair a fuller appearance, which makes it more obvious that your hair has grown. It also helps you to control split ends.
