10 Must Know Tips For Growing Long Hair

Growing long hair isn't the easiest thing to do. But there are important steps you can take and tips for growing long hair such as eating the right foods and vitamins, rinsing with cold water and using DIY hair masks.

In our constant hunt for the best hair products and vitamin supplements, we often forget that the process for growing long, luscious, shiny locks is actually a lot easier (and cheaper) than we think! Here are some basic, simple must know tips for growing long hair!

1) Food, food, & food.

This is one piece of advice that many of us seem to either neglect or just not pay enough attention to. Looking at what we eat and drink is THE most crucial when it comes to hair growth! Without a nutritious, well-balanced diet, you could pile on all of the most expensive and sought-after products on your hair – you most likely won’t benefit from them as much, if at all. Look out for foods containing protein, biotin, zinc, iron, Omega-3 fatty acids, carotene, and Vitamins A, B, C & E for strong, shiny and long, luscious locks.

2) Your mental state.

Completely avoiding stress in today’s fast-paced metropolitan lifestyle can be very hard and maybe a tad impossible. Minimising stress, however, is feasible and fairly easy. Try taking up yoga or meditation sessions, or even practicing them yourself at home (think YouTube how-to’s!) Swimming and cycling is another fun and effective way to alleviate everyday tension and stressors. And hey, if you feel like your daily schedule is really starting to become the root-cause of your pent up anger, kick-boxing classes are perfect for releasing your inner Mike Tyson! So smile, meditate, swim, cycle, kick-box…and you will begin to see your head do away with its excessive hair-shedding ways. I kid you not.

3) Oils, garlic, honey and eggs.

Ew. No, not to mix together and eat. But to mix together and slap onto your hair! Olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil and almond oil are all famous for their multi-beneficial skin and hair properties. No need to mix any of the oils with other ingredients and you can use whichever of the oils you have readily available in your kitchen. Just soak your hair 3 or 4 times a week before washing, and say hello to immediately shiny, lustrous locks.
As for the garlic cloves…they smell, I know. But believe you me, their benefits are gold. Extract about a tablespoon of juice from the garlic cloves and mix well with a tablespoon of honey and an egg. Massage the mixture onto your scalp and hair and leave in for about 20 minutes. Wash off, and thank me later.

4) Don’t brush your hair while it’s wet. Ever.

This is something that I have actually found to be a topic of constant debate. Some say they brush their hair in the shower while it’s soaking wet and drenched in conditioner, and it works well for them. Some warn against the habit like they warn against drugs. I’m part of the latter, and I say “don’t brush your hair while it’s wet, kids.”

I honestly cannot stress this enough. When your hair is wet, it is at its weakest, most vulnerable, easily-broken state. It may seem fine now, but you know as they say, “what goes around comes around”…yup. Hair knows karma too. Be nice to it, please.

5) Rinsing your hair with cold water.

This is probably the hardest to muster, especially during those dark, groggy winter months. Eugh. But the results are 100% worth the pain.

After using hot or warm water to shampoo your hair, switch to cold water to rinse off your conditioner. This will ensure the moisture from the conditioner gets locked inside your hair cuticle, which means softer, shinier hair. The healthier and smoother your hair is, the quicker it will grow.

6) Lay off the styling irons.

Seriously, this is often ignored as we seek to groom and style our hair to doll-like perfection. If you are trying to grow out your hair, and yet you can’t seem to give your hair straighteners and curling irons a well-needed break, then you might as well just forget about growing your hair and just stick to hair extensions! Excessive heat from hair styling can seriously damage your hair and will lead to split ends, breakage, split ends and more breakage. No growth can come from constant breakage.

Use your hair styling tools wisely, leave them for special occasions and embrace your wild curls or your flat, straight locks for the remainder of the time. Trust me, your hair will forever be thanking you.

7) Lay off the hair dye.

Yes, lay off the heating irons and lay off the hair dye. Hair dyes contain the chemical Peroxide, which leads to dry, brittle straw-like hair. They also contain ammonia, which breaks through the hair cuticle to help the colour form in the hair. Damaging your hair cuticle is the ultimate step towards death of your hair because it eventually ruins its structural integrity.

Do your hair a favour and stop colouring it. Wear wigs if you absolutely must! But do not dye it, especially if you’re looking to grow it out nice and long.

8) Loose locks, healthy locks.

Again, this fast-paced life seems to allow for one and only one hairstyle: the ponytail. I get it; it’s comfortable, it’s convenient, and it gets your hair out of the way. But are we actually doing our hair any favours by having it tied up like that for hours on end? Sure, you could always let it out for a few minutes, but can you feel how much strain you’re putting on your head and on your hair when you tie it up, even if it’s just for a few minutes?

Try to leave your hair out for most days of the week and only tie it up when you absolutely need to. Or, to make things a little easier for you, tie your hair up very loosely using a soft cotton hair band for damage-free convenience.

9) Hair-boosting supplements are not drugs.

This tip will only work if you follow tip #1. Vitamin supplements will only serve to complement your already-healthy diet, not to replace it. So, if you feel you really could do with some hair-boosting supplements, there is no harm in doing so. If you live in the UK, the health store Holland & Barrett provides an excellent variety of affordable and effective hair-growth supplements.

*But please be warned: Vitamin supplements may not be classed as drugs, but that does not mean that an overdose isn’t possible, or even likely if you don’t really know what you’re doing. ALWAYS make sure to consult your Pharmacist, your Nutritionist or your General Health Practitioner before you decide to take ANY supplements. A vitamin overdose will do a lot more harm than good, so please tread cautiously.

10) Patience, my friend. Patience.

And last but not least…PATIENCE! Growing out your hair can take some time, and you will need to be consistent with your hair-care routine as well as be good at the waiting game. And please, don’t compare yourself to others. While I could never get my hair to grow past my elbows, someone else I know can grow their hair up to their waist line or even longer! Everybody is different, but despite our differences, good overall health and a clean diet can and will do wonders for our hair.

So don’t go stressing yourself out over this, we all know what stress can do to hair growth… 😉

And there you have it. Follow these 10 simple tips consistently, and you will be the proud owner of those gorgeously long mermaid locks you’ve always dreamt of – within just a few months or even weeks!

Note:

*The above advice is intended for already relatively healthy hair. Please contact your General Health Practitioner if you believe you may have underlying health conditions that could be delaying your hair growth.