I'm pretty sure that every girls dream is to have long, healthy flowing locks, which can be very hard to achieve and manage, but I have devised my top 10 tips that I follow to help promote and help with hair growth. Now, I am no expert when it comes to hair care, but these 10 tips are factors that I like to take on board to help look after my hair and keep it healthy and strong.
1. Try Not To Use Heat / Little Heat As Possible
First time, and I'm sure we are all aware of this one! We all know that heat is one of the most damaging factors to our hair and is something you shouldn't use or try to use as little as possible. Heat can cause damage to your hair, breaking the strength of hair, causes dead ends, and ultimately breaks off you hair. When blow drying my hair, I like to make sure my hair is around 80% dry, before blow drying on a low, cool setting for a couple of minutes to prevent heat damage, as well as straightening on a low temperature. Yes, there are time we want to blow dry, straighten or curl our hair, buts its so important to use a heat defence treatment to help prevent damage to our locks. I like to use the TRESemme Protect Heat Defence Styling Spray, as this protects my hair up to 230°c, as well as smoothing any frizz and sealing in shine.
2. Get Your Hair Trimmed Regularly
Getting your hair trimmed every so often, allows you to get rid of all the dead, split ends, which is an essential must for healthy looking hair. Trimming your hair also reduces hair breakage and damage. I usually get my hair trimmed every 8 - 10 weeks, removing about half an inch from the ends, which gets rid of any damaged, broken hair, as well as any split ends, which could travel up your hair, if left untrimmed and untreated. In-between trims, I like to use hair oils and treatments to help prevent split ends and damaged hair.
3. Having a Healthy, Balanced Diet
Now you're probably thinking what does your diet have with hair growth and sustaining healthy hair, but it is a very important factor! Since your hair is made from proteins, it is very important to make sure you are getting enough protein in your diets, whether it be from chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts or pulses for example, these play an important role in keeping your hair healthy. These foods will help promote healthy keratin production, which are the building blocks of hair. Also, drinking plenty of water with help to promote a healthy scalp. Without drinking water, your hair and skin are the first places to show the most noticeable dehydration and dryness.
4. Massaging Your Scalp
Now, this is something we can all do, at any time of the day. Massaging the scalp for 15-20 minutes a day helps to stimulate the blood circulation to the hair follicles of the scalp, which helps to promote growth. This means more oxygen and nutrients are being delivered to the scalp, which is good for hair growth. Even massaging your hair whilst you are shampooing or applying your hair mask can help to increase the blood flow!
5. Avoid Washing Your Hair Everyday
This is definitely one of the most important and most useful tips if you are wanting to grow your hair! Washing your hair everyday means you are washing away all the natural oils that your hair produces that are essential for hair growth. Washing these oils away is unhealthy for your hair and can leave it looking dry and rough. I try to wash my hair every 3-4 days, and if my hair is looking a but dull or lacking volume/shine, I spritz in a bit of Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo, to give my hair a little boost, so I get an extra day without washing.
6. Switch Up Your Shampoos + Conditioners
This is a tip that I learnt about recently and it is definitely something that does help hair growth. At the moment, I currently have 3 shampoos (Aussie Luscious Long Shampoo, John Frieda Volume Shampoo and Headmasters SOS Moisture Shampoo) and 2 conditioners on the go (Aussie 3 Minute Miracle and Headmasters SOS Moisture Conditioner), in order to help me switch up my hair products. This tip stops your hair getting used to the products and helps to avoid product build up on the scalp, which would lead to oily/greasy hair.
7. Avoid Very Tight Hairstyles
Avoiding tight hairstyles on a regular basis is important for hair growth. Having your hair tightly done will increase the likeliness for breakage and hair loss. Having your hair in loose plaits or ponytails, or leaving your hair down is a lot better and relaxing for your hair. Also, if you are tying your hair up in any way, make sure to use the hair bands without the metal part, as your hair can get stuck in these, and cause damage and breakage.
8. Use Oil Treatments and Essential Oils
This is something that I've only been doing for the past few months, but already I have seen a huge difference in the appearance of my hair. Using oils on the hair helps to nourish, smooth and enhance shine, as well as taming any frizz of fly aways, all leading to stronger and healthier hair. I generally only use oils on the tips of my hair, to help heal any split ends and help my hair feel softer and smoother. Also using oil treatments/masks is a great way to add some much needed moisture and hydration to your hair. Using natural oils like Olive Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Coconut Oil or Almond Oil, and massaging it gently through the scalp, leaving on for up to 1 hour before washing, is a great way to boost your hairs appearance!
9. Brush Your Hair Carefully
Now this might seem like a bit of a no brainer, but making sure you brush your hair carefully is an important step to stop your hair from breaking and snapping. Brushing your hair to excess can actually pull hairs out of the scalp and therefore cause hair loss. Not something we want! If you are brushing your hair after its been washed, make sure you leave it to dry naturally (about 80% dry) before taking a comb through it, as well as using a detangling spray or leave in conditioner!
10. Use A Weekly Hair Mask
Using a hair mask is such an easy step into making your hair stronger and healthier. There are so many different hair masks on the market, you will most definitely find one to suit your hair type, as it is important to use the correct one. When I apply a hair mask, I like to use it on freshly washed, towel dried hair, when I take a wide comb to brush the mask from root to tip, to make sure all my hair is covered. Make sure you use a mask every week, and your hair will stay very shiny, soft, and healthy!
What are your tips for hair growth? What products do you use to keep your hair healthy and strong?
