Long Hair Love

There's nothing quite like having long hair like Rapunzel that flows like silk, made of threads of gold. Strong enough to allow a full grown man to scale a high tower to rescue her. (How exactly they got down, we may never know...) Many of us yearn for those long luscious locks, while others balk at the idea of having to put in so much work to maintain it. The fact of the matter is this:

Long hair is a long term commitment.

When I was eighteen, I was losing my hair. The long hair I loved was brittle, dry, and my length was dramatically reduced. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism that I found out why I was losing my hair and nothing was fixing the problem. I lost two FEET of hair, but this isn't meant to discourage you! Even after losing all that hair, I grew my hair from my shoulders TO THE FLOOR!

Your hair CAN come back from any trial it goes through. It just needs tender loving care.

Ever since I was little, I've always had long hair. I was obsessed with Sailor Moon's pigtails, and Thumbelina's hair of gold. That's when I became obsessed with growing it to the floor and after five years, I did. That's when the headaches settled in. After a bought of migraines, I knew I couldn't handle the weight of my hair down to the ground any longer. Now I know that my knees is my cut off limit. It was heartbreaking since I had always dreamed of having cascading locks like I'd always seen in the movies.

With over a quarter century of long hair, I've learned what works best for my hair. Each hair type, lifestyle, where you live, down to your DNA affects what's going to work best for your hair. However, with that being said, I'm still more than happy to reveal my tips and tricks I've accumulated over the years.

Note: Anything I say is purely my opinion and what I've found works for myself as well as others who have tried my methods. I give no guarantees, but sometimes it just takes a few simple changes to make a world of difference to your hair.

Basic Practices:

A. Use a comb first, then brush it. Start from the bottom and work your way up your hair. Sounds backwards, but it works the knots out easier.

B. Do the labor to undo knots by hand. I ALWAYS take out my knots by hand, pulling out one strand at a time. It's a labor of love I now do on automatic, but I can't stress how much better it is. Constantly ripping out knots, cutting them out damages your hair.

C. PROTEIN. Your hair strands are protein molecules stuck together. You want healthier, stronger hair? At the end of the day, it comes down to protein. No gimmicks. No false hope. No expensive shampoos or vitamins. Even if you're vegan, or vegetarian, there are many other options for protein besides meat. (Nuts, green peas, oatmeal, wild rice to name a few)

-On a side note, I will recommend Red Ken's Extreme Length products. I've used Red Ken products for years and I swear by their products. They are well worth the price. Extreme Length is enriched in Biotin which is another well known vitamin to helping aid in hair & nail growth. Red Ken All Soft is a game changer for those with frizzing, or dry hair.

D. Do NOT wash your hair every day. There is NO replacement for the wonderful natural oils that come out of your scalp to nourish your hair. Shampoo cleans the hair from dirt, grim and oil. Consistently stripping your hair of the natural oil is one reason it gets dry and brittle: also leading to flaking, dry scalps, too. (And no, that doesn't mean dry shampoo can be your go to hack to avoid it.)

- Now, I know there are some of you whose lips just curled at the thought of not washing your hair, but it's worth a shot to see if it helps.

Hair Terms & Conditions apply:

1. Trims vs. Cuts -

This is a huge one for me. Each persons hair grows at different speed, but for this I'll use my hair as an example:

My hair grows about an inch a month, give and take some millimeters. So in four months, I've grown four inches of hair. Now, if I went to a hairdresser, they might trim off two or even all four inches of all that new growth.

I'm a stickler when it comes to trimming my hair only. I'm talking a centimeter or less. It's just enough to reinvigorate the hair without losing all that new hair growth.

2. Color Treated Hair -

I highlight my hair, and even with that, my hair still grows. Dying your entire head will undoubtedly cause dryness and various other unwanted things to occur - including lack of hair growth.

If you want your hair to grow, my natural answer will always be to stop color treating your hair. With that said, it goes without saying that if you manage it correctly, making sure to give your hair TLC, you can keep your hair healthy. This all comes down to what products you're using and at the end of the day, one product will work for your hair while it doesn't work for another. I'm a huge fan of Red Ken's products, and will only go to salon's that use it, but that's just my preference.

Note: I've naturally bleached my hair from brunette from brown to golden blonde. Granted I spent nearly every day at the beach, without using any products on my hair. So if you enjoying lounging in the sun, or swimming, get your hair soaked and let the sun do the work for you!

3. Fine Hair -

Fine Hair is it's own battle - especially with a 'rat's nest' of knots that can pop out of nowhere to wreak havoc on your day. Oil has become my best friend in this battle.

My hair was once dry, brittle, frizzy and unmanageable with all the knots I'd get. I've gone through almost every bottle of oil on the market, and most weighed down my hair - or gave it strange sticky texture I hated. Once I found my golden bottle of oil, I use it often. I use two oils for two different reasons. I also live in Arizona, so while my hair enjoys the dry heat, it does dry it out.

I use a coconut oil by OGX once or twice a month in what I call an 'oil wash'. I won't wash my hair for a couple days, then I'll soak my tail with wash, and braid it. Then I start with one coat of oil down the braid. I'll let that sit, then unbraid my hair and do another coat of oil, re-braid, pin it in a bun, and let it sit for about an hour. Then I was my hair as normal, and it's smooth as silk.

The second oil I use is Red Ken All Soft Argan oil. This is the one I only use when my hair is dry, or it's not cooperating. I use a small amount and massage through my hair to make it manageable.

Note: Split ends? Meet your match. Oil is a phenomenal way to beat split ends. Apply it daily, or even twice a day, and it'll make a world of difference.

4. Stress is a killer -

When I'm stressed, my hair goes from silk to lack luster and dull. I'd say color treat your hair and ditch the stress because that's the massive difference I have seen in my own hair. So if you needed a reason to start meditating, yoga, or to start taking those walks - think of your hair.

I hope you enjoyed and got something useful out of this article!