Dreaming of having long, lustrous hair that looks as good as it does in the movies? We can help.
A girl’s hair is the crowning glory of her looks. Not every girl wants long hair, of course, but for many of us long hair that is both healthy and gorgeous is the ideal.
The problem, though, is that long hair can often be hard to manage. Indeed, it can be hard to manage that it ends up looking unhealthy, lifeless, and dull more than it does healthy and beautiful.
And when long hair looks lifeless, dull and unhealthy, it takes its toll on you. If you don’t look great, it follows that you don’t feel great.
There are many factors that stop us from growing amazing long hair, including pollution and stress. But the good news is that all of these can be combated, and healthy long hair is totally possible.
Let’s take a look at 10 long hair secrets every girl needs to know about.
1. Massage Your Head Regularly
One of the easiest and quickest things you can do to promote healthy long hair is to massage your head regularly. Massaging your head will boost circulation and increase blood flow around your whole body – which is pretty important.
For best results, I suggest that you apply either almond oil or coconut oil to your scalp. Lavender oil works as a good alternative.
Even better, you could try a hot oil head massage instead of a lukewarm one. Indeed, a hot oil head massage is well-known for being one of the best home remedies for lustrous locks. You can either do it yourself, or you can book an appointment at the salon.
You could even ask a friend to do it for you!
2. Use Scissors
Naturally, you would think that regularly trimming your hair with a pair of scissors would be counterproductive, but you need to do this to prevent split ends while ensuring that your hair remains looking healthy.
Essentially, you want to avoid letting your split ends get too long. Why? Because eventually, they all make your hair break off higher up the strand. This will lead to much shorter hair than if you trim often.
3. Don’t Shampoo Each Day
Lots of girls have fallen into the habit of shampooing their hair every day. Maybe you do this, too. I used to. But it isn’t a very good idea if you want long, healthy hair.
Essentially, by shampooing your hair every single day, you’re bombarding your hair with natural oils. While this might sound good on paper, it really isn’t. Why? Because it doesn’t give your hair any chance to hydrate.
Shampooing just twice a week gives your hair enough time to recover, hydrate and repair.
And remember, the ultimate purpose of shampooing is to wash away product build-up and dirt. But excessively shampooing can actually increase product build-up while simultaneously damaging your hair.
4. Be Gentle!
We all enjoy a good shampoo, right? Often, we enjoy it so much that we get a bit too carried away. Moreover, if you’ve had a bad day, you might even find that you take all your frustration out on your scalp and shampoo like a maniac!
While this might be a good way of relieving your tension, it isn’t doing your tresses any favours at all!
Instead, it’s a much better idea to be nice and gentle while shampooing. Caress your scalp – don’t attack it. Rubbing shampoo onto your head in anger can easily cause breakage. Just take your time and be nice.
5. Use Hair Boosting Supplements
You don’t have to use hair-boosting supplements, but I’ve found that they work for me personally. After all, your body needs various essential nutrients if it’s going to create new hair. So why not double down on your nutrient intake by getting your vital minerals and vitamins from supplements as well as your diet?
6. Always Use Conditioner
If you don’t use conditioner each time you shampoo, now is the time to start.
Why? Because conditioning is absolutely essential if you want to maintain healthy long hair.
How does it work? By locking the moisture into the shaft. As such, your hair is protected against dryness, dirt, pollution and even the sun – all of which are your hair’s enemy as it tries to stay long, flowing and healthy.
It’s not easy to pair up with the right shampoo with the right conditioner, so we suggest that you ask experts at the store for advice.
7. Get The Right Style
If your hair isn’t as long as you’d like right now, you can always ask your stylist to create the illusion of length by giving you the right cut.
For example, longer layers at the front create the illusion of longer hair, and they don’t cost much at all. If you want some inspiration, check out actress Julianne Moore – she sports this style.
8. Dry Your Hair Gently
You’ve probably realised by now that the key to healthy, long hair is simply being kind to it. Treat your hair with respect, and it will look its best.
When drying your hair, you mustn’t do roughly with a towel. My advice is that you either avoid towels altogether, air dries them instead, or use a very gentle towel.
Alternatively, you could dry it with an old t-shirt.
9. Add Some Colour
There is an easy way of injecting some life and vibrancy into your hair – all you need to do is add colour!
If your hair lacks subtle highlights, it might look heavy, solid and lifeless.
10. Be Patient
My final tip is just to be patient. Although you might feel like tearing your hair out when your hair doesn’t seem to be growing, losing your cool is not good. After all, stress is one of the reasons why some girls can’t grow luscious long hair.
Bear in mind that hair grows slowly – like, painfully slowly. According to hairstylist for the celebrities Mark Townsend. “hair typically only grows about a quarter of an inch – to a half an inch max – a month.”
What are your favorite long hair hacks and secrets?
Stay beautiful!
