Growing long, healthy hair requires patience and careful handling of your hair, report the stylists at the Long Locks website. Keeping your hair free from breakage and splitting is the key to allowing it to become lustrous. Hair length is predetermined by genetics, but with a little patience and work, you can get your hair to that length and keep it healthy.
Cutting
You must start with healthy hair to grow it longer. Cut off any ends that are split, because a split will continue to the root of the hair and cause follicle damage. Trim off bad ends or cut your short hair, if necessary, before you even start to grow your locks longer. Hair takes time to grow. If you do not cut off the damaged ends, they will continue to plague your growth. Once all the damaged ends have been cut off with extremely sharp, precise scissors, trim your hair about 1/2 inch every three or four months to keep it fresh.
Drying
Avoid heat as much as possible because it only damages your hair. Allow hair to dry naturally as long as possible. Squeeze the water out of it gently; do not rub it dry. Use ceramic hot rollers if you must use some kind of hot roller; this type inflicts the least amount of damage. Get out of the habit of relying on curling irons, crimpers or flat irons. Protect your hair with heat protection hair products if you must use a blow dryer or any other heat source.
Coloring
Use henna or low-peroxide hair color, if you must color your hair. Ideally, the more natural you can leave it and the fewer chemicals you put on your hair, the healthier it will be and the fewer damaged ends you will have to cut. Deep condition your hair at least once a week, if you use hair coloring with peroxide in it. Apply a leave-in conditioner occasionally to provide additional moisturizing protection.
Accessories
Use hair-safe accessories and jewelry that will not pull out your hair. Stick to wooden combs with no sharp edges, scrunchies and soft ponytail holders that will not pull out your locks. Be careful with bobby pins that will not unclasp enough to take out without pulling hairs out with it. Stay away from rubber bands, metal clips and Velcro closures.
Styling
Go for loose styles that do not require you to pull your hair taut. Cornrows and tight braids can be damaging to long hair. Pulling strongly on the hair tugs at the roots and will eventually loosen the follicles and cause hair to fall out. Use a natural boar bristle brush that will not tear the hair and a wide-tooth comb to get out tangles. Avoid teasing and back combing because that, too, can tear out hair from the follicles.
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