I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. From years of dyeing and bleaching and straightening and backcombing my hair is now a hot mess of dry and damaged split ends and nastiness. So, over the last year or so I have developed a hair care routine that not only helps my hair grow stronger, healthier
and longer, but also leaves my hair suuuuuuuper soft and lush looking!
Here is a list of
10 tips and tricks for healthier and longer hair :-)
1⃣ Coconut Oil
Before you wash your hair add some coconut oil to the lengths of your hair. You can brush all the oils through your hair and leave it in for as long as possible before washing it off.
You can also do this as a moisturising hair mask and leave it in aaaaall day on the days when you don't leave the house.
It's also a great idea to brush your own natural hair oils through your hair before a shower so they get evenly distributed throughout your hair. This also helps as there is no knots in your hair when your washing it :-)
This is the coconut oil I use, it's a solid and turns into a liquid when rubbed in your hands :-)
2⃣ Argan oil
Another great oil for the ends of your hair is Argan oil. Use a small amount of this to smooth into the lengths of your dry or wet hair every day to keep them nice and moisturised. If you use a small amount it won't make your hair look or feel greasy, but it will leave your hair mega soft!
I use this Argan oil from Penneys/Primark, it's super cheap and it smells really good, kind of citrusy :-)
3⃣ No Heat!
Another big thing for long and healthy hair is to avoid heat as much as possible!! If this seems literally impossible to you, try going 1 week without heat or maybe be really brave and go a whole month without heat ;-)
Also every time you do use heat PLEASE remember to use a good heat protectant spray, your hair will appreciate you for it :-P
If you have issues with frizz and feel the need to always use heat on your hair, or you just love the look of curled hair, why not try some different no heat curling methods?
Check out my blog post on my no heat curling methods, it's changed my life like literally! :D
4⃣ Less Shampooing
Try to limit the amount of times you shampoo, and definitely don't shampoo your hair every day. It strips your hair of its natural oils and your hair needs these to stay moisturised and healthy.
Instead, why not try some dry shampoo on the days when you don't shampoo? A great dry shampoo to use is Batiste dry shampoo which is readily available in most places in Ireland and is super affordable.
Another thing you can use as dry shampoo is talcum powder. Just dab some into your greasy roots and blow dry it out (on a cool setting of course ;-) )
Also it's worth mentioning that you do not need to apply shampoo into the lengths of your hair, just the roots and scalp area is fine. When rinsing the shampoo out the ends of your hair will get a quick clean too.
This even works when you have a ton of coconut oil in the ends of your hair, it doesn't leave your hair greasy or oily at all.
5⃣ Leave in Conditioner
Leave in conditioner literally changed my hair for the better. You can do this by either leaving some conditioner in the lengths of your hair after your shower and letting your hair dry with it still in it...
Or
You can make your own DIY leave in conditioner! For this you need a small spray bottle. Add equal parts of water and your fave conditioner into the bottle while still leaving a little room in the top of the bottle. This is so you can shake it up!! So shake 'till your hearts content (or until your conditioner and water are mixed up ;-) .) Add this to wet hair after your shower and let dry :-)
No joke your hair will dry amazingly soft and smell good for dayssssss :-) This is a pic of my DIY leave in conditioner :-)
6⃣ Biotin Supplement
If like me you find that your hair has reached a length and will not grow anymore, you might want to think about adding a Biotin supplement into your diet.
Biotin is a mineral that we receive in small amounts in the food we eat. It is also hugely helpful in the growth of hair and nails. You can get this supplement in health food stores in doses of 100mg all the way to 1000mg!
However, before you jump in with the Biotin, you need to know that although it promotes hair and nail growth and strength, it also increases the growth rate of other body hair too... So ask yourself is it really worth it? ;-)
7⃣ Regular Snips!
So I know no one wants to have a scissors anywhere near their hair when they are growing it but let me tell you, it's a necessity when your growing your hair long in order to get rid of the split ends that end up breaking your hair off eventually.
If you don't trust hairdressers (I don't!!! No offence any hairdressers reading this ;-) ) it may be worth your while investing in some hair dressing scissors.
PLEASE never ever cut your hair with a regular scissors! This will actually increase the amount of split ends in your hair as it is not sharp enough to cut your hair properly. I got this pair in Boots for €25 and use them to cut off the bad ends of my hair every 2 months.
8⃣ Plaits at Night & Better Bobbins
Plaiting your hair at night can stop it from tangling up and getting even more splits. Always use hair bobbins that have no metal connection on them as this rips hair out. The example in the picture below has no metal connection part and although they don't last as long they are much better for your hair.
If you love wearing your hair up then you need to think about changing up the position of your bun/pony tail every couple of days as wearing your hair up in the same position every day can cause breakages.
I got these bobbins in Penneys/ Primark :-)
9⃣ Always Use Conditioner
Always remember to condition your hair every time you wash it. If you brush your hair before your shower you shouldn't have to use a brush to brush through the conditioner, however, if you do need something it is better to use a wide tooth comb to brush through the conditioner.
This is my fave conditioner, leaves my hair so soft and it's super affordable too :-)
🔟 Brushing
When your hair is wet it is in its most vulnerable stage. It is more prone to breakages if you brush it when it's wet so try not to do this. The best thing to use to brush wet hair is a wide tooth comb.
You may think that brushing your hair increases split ends but realistically if you let your hair get in a tangled mess that's when the most breakage is going to take place trying to get rid of all those knots.
Aim to brush your hair once in the morning and once before you sleep and put your hair in plaits. This minimises tangles and knots and helps keep your hair in great shape.
Always brush your hair starting at the very ends of your hair and working upwards. Always brush in a downwards motions though (backcombing literally breaks your hair at the root when done too often). Go as slow as you can so as to reduce the strain on your hair and decrease the amount of breakage :-)
There are also different hair brushes for different types of hair so it might be worth your while investing in a hair brush suitable for your specific hair type.
These are my tips and tricks for growing healthy hair that I have learned over the last year. I hope you find it helpful, if you try anything mentioned here or have any other suggestions feel free to leave a comment below :-)
Love & Hugs,
Lora xo
