Tips for growing long healthy hair

So first thing I would like to say is, I am not a professional and am giving tips on what is working for my hair type, so before using any products, remember to check them for any ingredients you may be allergic to. Also if you have any medical issues, check with your doctor before trying anything new.

 Now I’ve got that cleared up, here are my tips for how to help grow long hair:

Trimming

Having the ends of your hair trimmed regularly will stop the ends from splitting; this keeps your hair in good condition and helps it grow longer.

I go every 3-4 months for a light trim of no more than a ¼ inch or it takes off too much growth.

I found it best to get all my damaged hair cut off at first and then go for regular cuts after, you may lose several inches in the beginning, it does depend on how damaged your hair is, but it really helps in the long run.
This is because if you do not get the damage trimmed off, it will continue to break and split, and not encourage the ends to stay healthy and increase in length.
ALWAYS go to a hairdresser you trust, explain exactly what you want, then get them to repeat back what you have asked for, also get them to show you exactly how much they will be trimming off, you’ll be surprised at the amount of scissor happy hairdressers that don’t listen to you.

Patience

To grow long hair you will need a lot of patience and commitment, the average person’s hair growth is roughly ½ an inch per month, equalling roughly 6 inches per year. So with trims included it may be less than this, so please don’t expect dramatic results in length straight away, it will take time. However, like me, you may find the condition of your hair improves very quickly.

Terminal length

Everyone’s hair grows at different rates and to different lengths. So if you find your hair doesn’t grow as long as someone else’s, this is why. It’s in your DNA and you can’t change it. Each hair goes through a ‘hair growth cycle’, so hair will grow for a certain amount of time and then shed for the new hair to grow in the follicle.

If you have never had long hair its worth trying these tips to see if you can get more growth. Recently mine would not grow past a certain length; I know my hair has the potential to grow long as before I ever dyed it, it reached the bottom of my back. So it may just be the lack of care causing it to snap and not grow long.

Vitamins

I have started taking a daily multivitamin to ensure my body is getting all the essential vitamins it needs.

Heat styling

I have now banned heat styling from my hair care regime. I used to blow dry my hair every time I washed it, and since I stopped, I can feel the difference, my hair is softer and I am not left with a pile of snapped off dried hair on the bathroom floor.
However I’m not sure how long I will do this for, as I like to use my heated curler on my hair when I’m going out, so do not feel I could live without them completely.
if you feel you cannot live without your styling tools, just cut down, try letting your hair air dry and give it a quick blast after for more volume, see how your hair feels then.
I may even get some sleep in rollers to help with volume.

Protection
If you are going to use heat on your hair, make sure you are always using a heat protection spray, this is what I would use before I stopped using my hairdryer.

Dyes and bleaching          

Dying your hair regularly can damage it and dry it out; I have found this out the hard way by dying to frequently. I have also previously had my hair bleached, which would cause it to snap of at the ends.
Use less harsh dyes such as semi or demi permanent ones, try going longer in between dying your hair.

Bleach also dries your hair out so always use a deep conditioning treatment.

After years of box dying my hair, I would now suggest going to a hairdresser for professional advice, especially when you have a big change in colour.
When my roots grow out more, I will be going to my trusted hairdresser to ask for their advice on matching my colour to my new natural growth. Even if I don’t get it done, it’s worth going to talk through what they would do.
As for bleaching, I would say you can grow long hair while it’s blonde, my sister highlights her hair herself and has much longer hair than me, she just bleaches less often, although she has fairer hair and the re-growth is more subtle.

Shampoos and conditioners

Invest in some good quality products that are suitable for your hair type. Sometimes you can be using the wrong type which causes you more damage than you might think. You could be using a clarifying shampoo that is drying your hair too much, or actually stripping your hair of the dyed colour, causing you to dye your hair more often. So get researching and see what’s best for your hair type.

Some people prefer more organic products without sulphates and silicones etc, this might be something you want to look up too. I myself am still in the middle of researching for a more natural hair care range, but cannot decide, as they are quite expensive its worth having a read about them before purchasing.

Treatments and deep conditioning

I use a conditioning treatment when washing my hair, and once a week I use coconut oil on my hair overnight for a deep conditioning. There are many available; you can also make your own. I will be trying some home made hair masks soon, so will do a post on these once I have tried them, they are a great way to save money by using ingredients from your cupboard.

Be healthier

Make sure your drinking plenty of water, eating well and getting regular exercise. This helps your overall well being and ensures your body’s nourished and healthier.

Be happy

Stress can cause problems with your health; this may also slow your hair growth rate. If you are feeling stressed, ensure you always make time to pamper and treat yourself, or do a hobby you enjoy.

Medication

Some medications have side effects and can effect your hair growth, if this is the case, you may find you will have problems trying to grow your hair long and it’s always best to see a professional. A substitute that might appeal to you could be clip in hair extensions. 

Brushing

Do not brush your hair when it is wet, it’s more fragile and has a tendency to snap. Use a wide tooth comb to untangle your hair. Boar bristle brushes are also great to help spread your hairs natural oils from root to the ends.
Always brush your hair from the bottom, then work your way up, this helps stop knotting.
I have started using a tangle teezer, and am finding it great for detangling my hair now it’s getting longer; it also massages my scalp while brushing.

Hair accessories

Use non snag hair bands, these are the ones without the metal parts on them, this will stop your hair catching and snapping.
A scrunchy is great to tie hair in a loose bun when you want it out of the way, I do this when putting my make up on, or if I want a shower but am not washing my hair that day.

Sleeping

Using a silk scarf to wrap your hair stops it from rubbing and catching on your pillow. If your like me and move around a lot in your sleep, you will find it falls off straight away. I use a silk pillowcase instead, and as an extra bonus, its great for wrinkles, your skin can move easier on the pillow case rather than cotton ones, this helps relieve tension on your skin.

Head massage
Massaging your head helps increase blood flow to your hair follicles encouraging your hair to grow. I gently do mine when I’m shampooing my hair.

Moisturising

The ends of your hair can become dry, I use a leave in conditioning spritz on my hair throughout the day, and it helps keep my hair moisturised. At night before I go to bed, I also put coconut oil on the ends of my hair, this has helped my hair the most. The ends are not dry, and do not split and snap off like they used to, I have already noticed a big difference in the length because of this, so for me, this is a must in my regime.

 

So these are my tips for growing longer healthy hair. Thanks for reading and I hope you manage to pick up some tips you can use.

Check out my other posts on my hair care products if you like to see what I use.
Good luck to any of you growing out your hair, if you have success to show of your hair growth, please leave a link to your blog below.

My favourite Mac lipsticks

My 5 favourite MAC lipsticks

 I must admit as soon as I used Mac cosmetics I was hooked, I have always been shy of parting with my money and I’m so glad I did because I had never tried a product that is so long lasting and quality, as this was normally out of my budget.

The products I love most are their blushers, eye shadows and lipsticks. I don’t buy any thing like the foundations or skin care products because I find I get on better with other types. To me the eye shadows, blushers and lippies last a long time as they are highly pigmented, so are worth paying that bit extra for.

 I love how long lasting Mac lipsticks are and in my opinion they feel very moisturising when on, so here are my five favourite lipstick colours in no particular order because they are all fabulous:

 

Photo in natural light

 

 

Photo indoors with flash on

 

(In order from left to right)

Girl about town

A beautiful bright pink that always gets compliments; absolutely love the colour, very girly, I mostly wear this in the evening.

Russian red

This is my newest one, a classic neutral bright red that lasts such a long time; I would consider it a semi-matte. I mostly wear this in the evenings and sometimes during the day when I’m in one of my confident moods.

Gotta dash

Sheen supreme lipstick, an excellent coral colour that looks fantastic with a tan in the summer, again, this one receives lots of compliments and many want to know what shade it is, it looks subtle on and not too orangey like most coral colours you find.

Viva Glam Gaga

This to me is such a feminine baby pink that I love wearing all year through. I have just about ran out, so if you could comment and recommend a cute soft pink colour that’s very similar that would be great, or even a link to your blog with any swatches, thanks.

Angel

This was the first Mac lipstick I ever bought; watching tons of you tube videos I seen it mentioned several times and knew I had to have it. It was also mentioned as a colour Kim Kardashian wears and that done it for me. It’s a very neutral colour that I love to wear if I have done dramatic eye make up as it tones down my look.

So these are my favourite 5, please comment below and let me know what yours are, or if you have a link to your blog, then leave that and I will have a look.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to add me on twitter @beyoubeautyblog

All of the lipsticks in this post where purchased by myself, and this is my own personal opinion on the products.

Products I am now using for my hair growth, and what I was using.

 

January hair growth challenge products

It began when I was stood in the bathroom drying my hair, every time I could see a scattering of 2-3 inch snapped off strands of hair. It was horrible; I knew something had to change if I wanted to grow my hair.

 Do you get it too? It’s not nice!

 So I decided to do some research on the net and find out how to improve the condition of my hair to grow it long. Yes ladies, I will also share this with you, and document my growth too.

 I found out my hair care regime isn’t as great as I thought it was, and I was going to have to take it up a notch if I wanted to have long waist length hair.

 Here is what I was using: (left to right in photograph)

 

 

 

 

Johnson’s baby shampoo

I was using this because I had dyed my hair brown and it turned black, I have read blogs for fading hair, and apparently baby shampoo is great for that because it has a more natural PH level so washes out colour, rather than protecting it.

 V05 nourish me truly conditioner for damaged hair

This smelt nice and made my hair feel soft, but if I’m honest the real reason I bought it was because it was a quick bargain buy in the pound shop.

Dove leave in conditioning spray
I bought this when it was on offer, I’m so glad I did. I have never really used a leave in conditioning spritz before, and found this excellent, it smelt great and really helped hydrate my thirsty hair throughout the day. Now I will be keeping the container to make my own homemade conditioning spray in because I think it distributes it evenly over hair. Defiantly recommend this for the product, and container to use after, which will save you money.

Toni & Guy heat protection spray

Fab product, it lasts for such a long time end smells gorgeous, always use a heat protector when using styling tools on your hair.

 Last but not least…..

MY HAIRDRYER.

THIS IS NOW BANNED!!!!! I am now sure how long I am going to stop using this so far, but it is damaging to use it constantly, I decided to not use it for a week to see if my hair improved, and after that week went by, it felt so much better that I haven’t touched it since, and that was now 2 months ago. I must say there is such an improvement and recommend it, if you can’t live without it, check out my hair growing advice blog  coming soon for suggestions on a healthier way of using it.

 

I had been treating my hair like this for awhile, and although it had some length to it, it was very dry and just stopped growing and was stuck at a certain length. So this is what I swapped to:

 Current hair care regime for growing my hair: (From top row left to right, then bottom row left to right)

 

 

 

Batiste dry shampoo tropical

For me this is a product I can’t live without. I forgot to put it in the picture above but I have been very loyal to this for years now. It’s great for those in-between days when you don’t want to wash your hair. I also find it great as a styling product, if my hair has just been washed I find it difficult to put it up, this adds volume and helps it stay in style more. Batiste has a range of these so you should defiantly check them out to see which you prefer.

Dove leave in conditioning spray

As I said above this is a great product, I have now ran out and now put fill it 1/5 with my conditioner and fill the rest with water, leaving space for you to shake it and mix before use. This is a great way to bring moisture to your hair during the day without making your hair to heavy with product.

Lee Stafford hair growth conditioner

I always use this after I have used the treatment, so it keeps my hair really soft and frizz free, I haven’t been using it long enough to tell if its helping my hair grow long, so will have to do an update when I do my update on hair growth, as I'm being realistic and know I have a lot of damage to grow out, but this is helping with the condition, I use some to fill up my spritz bottle as mentioned above, so it goes a long way by doing this.

Lee Stafford hair growth shampoo

This shampoo is great, doesn’t strip my hair and make it too dry but cleans thoroughly, which is perfect for my hair as I only wash my hair twice a week, alternating between this and my lush shampoo bar. Again, like the rest of the range it smells really florally which is always a bonus for me.

Holland and Barrett Perfectly pure coconut oil

To me this is a must, and I have seen the most improvement with this, its £14.99 for a 453g tub, and when Holland and Barrett have their penny sale on you get 2 for £15. I think this is the best time to buy it as it works out extremely cheap, and the pot lasts such a long time, everyday I use a small amount and gently rub it into the ends of my hair, this help so much, just use the back of your fingernail to scoop it up as it is in solid form then it quickly melts on your hands to rub in.

Once a week I use it as an overnight hair mask, I put it on my hair from the ears down as this is the driest part, then plait and leave overnight and shampoo off the next morning.

You can even use it to cook with and put with food, so it is very versatile product. Just don’t use to much on ends daily or it will look greasy, get to know the right amount for your hair type. You will notice you can go longer in between hair trims as your ends are staying nourished and not drying and splitting as much.

Salon Elite Tangle teezer brush

I know use this instead of my old brush as I find it untangles excellently rather than just snapping the hair off at the knot, when brushing you hair, always start from the bottom and work your way up.

This brush is great and they have different designs so you can pick your favourite colour. Mines pink, and its the perfect size for your handbag without the long handle getting in the way, the shape of it is perfect as it is slightly rounded and really massages your scalp when you use it, which helps stimulate the follicles encouraging growth.

Lush new shampoo bar

I love the smell of this; it has a spicy smell to it. In the photo I have mine on a shell, this is what I keep it on because it allows the water to drain off, they do sell a tin that you can put it in, but I find that it gets stuck in there so you have to wait for it to dry before storing it in there, so not ideal for me. I got my shell from when I had some scallops for tea, so save money and wash and reuse the shell to store it in your bathroom, it even acts as an air freshener because you can smell it a lot. I started using this every time I washed my hair, it’s great at cleaning hair and really strips the dirt and products, just use about 4 strokes on the top of your head because it really does lather up. I find it best not to rub the side with the cinnamon sticks in on your hair as it will catch. So you can pick them out later. Overall a great product and an excellent buy as it last a long time; my hair always has more volume on top when I use this.

After using it several times I did find it dried out my scalp slightly, so now I use it every other wash.

Lee Stafford treatment for hair that never grows past a certain length

'If the earth's not nourished you'll never grow beautiful flowers' beautiful statement on the pot, so try, you cannot grow long healthy hair without nourishing it, and that’s just what this does, smells like a flower potion, really easy to smooth over hair, and my hair feels great after, this is recommended to be put on after shampoo and before conditioner. Love it.



So I think I have covered everything, and I'll be doing more hair updates as it grows and keep you informed of the products, if I swap anything etc.

Also I know some people are conscious of what is in the products they purchase such as silicones and sulphates, but I am not covering any of that yet, as I am getting into a healthier routine than what I had before and think that itself is a much better improvement, so any recommendations of products and positive comments will be great.

I have also managed to not dye my hair for 2 months now, so am very pleased as that the longest I’ve gone for ages, and am looking forward to seeing what my natural colour will be like. Is your got all natural hair colour?

All products in this 'January hair growth challenge' blog have been bought by myself, I have also linked some of the products to the websites so you can view the other reviews, this is my opinion on what works best for my damaged hair, so its worth bearing in mind you may not receive the exact same results, but I would recommend trying them.

Thanks for reading and I'll keep you updated.