Long Hair Care Thread

[19ten20]

I'm currently growing out my hair and I am a recovering relaxer and Brazilian Blowout addict. I was wondering if there were other ladies (or guys) on this site that are also trying to grow out their hair or care for long hair and if they would like to have a thread for sharing tips and goals in their long hair journeys.

-19Ten 20

 

[zadidoll]

There are so many products on the market. Best tip I can give you, trim the ends every few weeks to keep spit ends at bay. Split ends are the bane of growing out a woman's hair.

 

[SalonClearwater]

I want to give special Thanks to salon st. pete and other user for sharing his valuable opinion here.

 

[MissJessicaMary]

I have had long hair since... well since my hair could grow long I guess. There are pictures of me at 4 years old with hair down to my bum. My hair is currently about the same length.

Here are some things I have learned along the way:

1. Try to avoid styling that will damage your hair. Including heat, towel rubbing your hair dry, backcombing/teasing, etc. Allowing your hair to air dry is great if you can do so.

2. Do not try to brush through tangles or snags. Instead use a wide tooth comb or pick through them with your fingers. I use a boar bristle brush, a wide tooth comb, and my fingers. I try to start by combing through, then picking out any tough snags with my fingers as I find them, then brush.

3. Always brush/comb from the bottom up (as in from the ends of your hair to your scalp). This way you are not brushing or combing down on tangles or snags making them even tighter. It also hurts much less this way for those of us with sensitive scalps.

I am trying a few other tips from others, but I have not used them enough to feel comfortable passing them on quite yet.

 

[albertjr]

This is the best fruits mask for hairs and this is very useful for curly hairs, Mix half a banana, half musk melon and one fourth avocado with one tablespoon wheat germ oil, one tablespoon yogurt and one capsule of Vitamin E to a thick paste. Apply evenly on the hair. This fruit smoothie is great to tame curly hair, and it also helps in giving hair a soft a glossy shine. 

 

[19ten20]

Thanks guys for all the great posts. I've never had a problem growing my hair until I moved to Arizona and started getting a Brazilian Blowout. I quit the Brazilian Blowout because I noticed my hair was getting too damaged by it. I also suffer from dandruff now, which I have never had before. I've never had to "baby" my hair until now, so this is all new for me.

I just used 100% coconut oil (the solid kind you buy in the grocery store) as a deep conditioning treatment. My hair seems to be quite soft now, but I look forward to additional tips from you guys and hope we can create an ongoing thread to share out long hair care journeys with each other!

 

[Annelle]

Originally Posted by Dekilah /img/forum/go_quote.gif

1. Try to avoid styling that will damage your hair. Including heat, towel rubbing your hair dry, backcombing/teasing, etc.

Just to second this.  Your hair is the weakest when it's wet, so the twisting and pulling by rubbing with the towel can cause additional breakage.  

I learned a different technique when I was at a salon in Korea years ago.  Instead of rubbing your hair in the towel, wrap your hair in the towel like normal, but clap your hands around it instead of rubbing. (like smack your hands together around the whole thing so it forces the water in your hair to be pushed into the towel)  It's a bit more effective than just blotting since the smack is more pressure than a blot, but it also avoids the rubbing and friction and twisting that can be caused when rubbing the hair back and forth with the towel.

 

[19ten20]

Originally Posted by Annelle /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Just to second this.  Your hair is the weakest when it's wet, so the twisting and pulling by rubbing with the towel can cause additional breakage.  

I learned a different technique when I was at a salon in Korea years ago.  Instead of rubbing your hair in the towel, wrap your hair in the towel like normal, but clap your hands around it instead of rubbing. (like smack your hands together around the whole thing so it forces the water in your hair to be pushed into the towel)  It's a bit more effective than just blotting since the smack is more pressure than a blot, but it also avoids the rubbing and friction and twisting that can be caused when rubbing the hair back and forth with the towel.

Thanks, that is a great tip.

Also I've been looking into those Turbie Twist towel turbans. Has anyone had success with those?

 

[iPretty949]

Originally Posted by 19ten20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif


Thanks, that is a great tip.

Also I've been looking into those Turbie Twist towel turbans. Has anyone had success with those?

Yeah. Had been using those for quite a while. They are just regular towels for me. But I do that smacking thing in the big towel first and when it's not dripping in water, i'll use twisty. It just lessens the bulk of a regular towel.

 

[Annelle]

Originally Posted by iPretty949 /img/forum/go_quote.gif


Yeah. Had been using those for quite a while. They are just regular towels for me. But I do that smacking thing in the big towel first and when it's not dripping in water, i'll use twisty. It just lessens the bulk of a regular towel.

I had to google search to see what they were.  I already do the same thing with my regular towels except there's no elastic band.  I guess I just don't lean over very far when I've got my hair up in a towel, so I've never really needed to tie mine back.  It looks a lot lighter weight than normal towels though which could be nice.