Getting And Maintaining The Long Hair You've Always Wanted

Are you hoping to grow your hair really long, or are you already there but not completely happy with the condition of your crowning glory? Growing or maintaining long hair takes time as well as effort, and also, many have already found, requires you to look outside of the mainstream realm of hair care.

Growing Your Hair

So, you've decided to grow your hair as long as possible? This is, above all, a process that takes patience — especially if your hair is currently so short that you'll have to get through those awkward stages of weird-looking hairdos that gradually offer you a long bob, and you will inevitably be tempted to cut it all off again at one point or another. Human hair grows an average of half an inch (1.25 centimeters) over the course of a month, though the rate of growth varies individually and also depends on your ethnic background. Asian hair grows fastest, while African hair grows most slowly. Hair also grows faster during the warmer months than in winter.

Regardless of your individual rate of growth, each follicle also follows its own pattern, and will at any given time be in one of the three stages of hair growth:

• The anagen phase is the growth phase. At any given time, around 85 percent of the hairs on your head will be in this phase, which lasts an average of three to five years.
• Once the anagen phase comes to an end, a hair enters the catagen phase, a resting phase that lasts around 10 days. Around a percent of the hairs on your head will be in this phase right now.
• Finally, the telogen phase is the phase during which an individual hair will fall out. It's not unusual to lose 80 hairs a day this way. After the hair falls out, your follicle will rest for around three months, after which a new hair begins the anagen phase again.

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This natural hair-growth phase is just that — natural, and inevitable. The normal growth of your hair can be disrupted, however, by factors like illness, hormonal imbalances, and nutritional deficiencies. If you want to grow your hair as long as possible, you can't beat the normal hair-growth cycle; individual hairs will fall out.The best you can do is work with this natural cycle to ensure that your anagen-phase hairs can grow well.

A healthy head of hair is the reflection of overall good health, and to achieve that, you need to be proactive. Eating a healthy and varied diet, getting regular exercise to promote blood circulation that will also help your hair grow, and staying hydrated are all essential. (Note that though reducing the stress you experience to a minimum has many health benefits, there is no evidence that stress makes your hair fall out or turn grey faster!)

Healthy long hair has many enemies. While your hair is still short-ish, however, you're likely to represent the main foe; if you get fed-up with it, you'll just cut it off.

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What can you do to help your hair grow long hassle-free?

• Hair dye and other chemical treatments are hard on your hair. If you currently have dyed hair, consider going back to your natural color, stopping straightening or curling it, and allowing it to shine.
• Love your hair during every stage. Don't be tempted to get extensions because you hate that bob. If your hair is currently so short that you can't even put it into a pony tail, and you can't get it to look good without blow drying it (which, let's face it, is not all that great for your tresses), hats and bandanas are your friends.
• Once your hair is long enough for a pony tail or braid, remember that very tight hairstyles cause your hair to break more easily. Refrain from over-brushing your hair, and don't brush your hair while it is wet! Wearing your head "up" for months at a time can give you the tidy and professional look you are after without having to spend too much effort, however. If you are one of those people who hates hair in their faces, wearing your hair up for set periods of time — three months, six months, or even a year — will help you grow your hair without even noticing it.

Caring For Long Hair

Once your hair starts getting quite long — "bra strap length, say — you need to switch gears and focus on maintaining the tresses that you already have as opposed to getting your hair to grow longer. With care, length will follow naturally.

How Often Do You Need To Cut Your Hair?

Contrary to popular belief, trimming the ends of your hair regularly does not make it grow faster. Your hair, a stratified squamous keratinized epithelium, isn't alive, and what you do or don't do to its ends will not affect how fast it grows. We all know that split ends don't look awesome though, and those who want to trim their hair can.

Because hair stylists have the unfortunate habit of cutting off more than you asked for, many people who would like really long hair cut their own. Once it grows to below bra-strap length, that's actually pretty easy: just separate your hair into two halves, drape them over your shoulders to your front, and make a straight cut on both sides. How often you cut your hair is totally up to you.

What Should You Use On Your Hair?

As your hair grows, you will likely find that it takes a much longer time for it to start looking greasy. Take advantage of this by washing and conditioning your hair less often, but do remember to condition your hair every time you wash it. Look for hydrating conditioners without silicone for the best results.

People with long hair will often find that the condition of their hair isn't the same across the board, and that the lower portions of their tresses need more care. You can use natural products such as coconut oil, argan oil, and shea butter on the lower end on the day before you are planning to wash your hair, while massaging castor oil into the scalp helps maintain hair growth and a healthy look.

The longer your hair is, the more time you have invested into it. At this stage, you will most likely want to stay away from commercial hair dyes, chemical treatments to straighten or curl it, and blow drying to prevent breakage and allow your hair to look its best. You will also want to look into using hair sticks instead of elastic bands on those days where you decide to wear your hair up.

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What Else Do You Need To Know?

Lots, actually. Use satin pillow covers to reduce friction, and thus breakage, to a minimum. Pat your hair dry rather than rubbing it, and never, ever brush freshly washed, wet hair. If you must do something to reduce knots, use a coarse comb on your hair while your conditioner is still in. When dry, brush your hair from the top up, rather than the other way around, to avoid being hard on your hair as you encounter knots. You'll also want to consider keeping your hair out of the way during those mundane, everyday tasks — exposing your hair to cooking heat, sitting on it, or getting it caught in things won't help!

Maintaining beautiful and healthy long hair takes thought. However, it is no harder than caring for short hair — just different. With time, as your hair grows, you'll grow with it in learning to take care of your tresses.