5 Tricks for Growing Your Hair Really, Really Long
Want to grow out a haircut you hate or try to achieve an ass-grazing length? Read on.
1. It can’t grow overnight, remember that. Unless your scalp unleashes new strands like a Chia Pet, gaining new length is going to take time.Celebrity hair stylist Mark Townsend, who helped Ashley Olsen grow out her asymmetric bob to past her wais says. “Hair typically only grows about a quarter of an inch — to a half an inch max — a month,”. “And that’s only if it is super-healthy and doesn’t have a ton of split ends.” The bottom line: Practice patience.
2. Every time you shampoo, use conditioner. If your hair is wet, that means you have to condition it. Over time, from coloring and heat styling, strands start to get thinner at the bottom. Conditioner helps replace the lipids and proteins inside the hair shaft. “As well as seal the cuticle to help prevent more damage from happening so that you can get your hair to grow longer and look healthier,” Townsend says.
3. At the end of each shower, do a cold-water rinse . “This can really help to grow hair and keep long hair healthy for longer,” Townsend says. “Cold water lays down the outer layer of hair more smoothly, which helps prevent moisture loss, snags and heat damage. You only need to do it for a few seconds, but this one extra step over time can make a huge difference.”
4. Never, ever wrap your hair in a massive towel again. Why it could be so bad to put hair in your super-soft bath towel? Because”It causes so much breakage,” Townsend says. “Your hair gets caught in all the woven fibers and since most women almost always wrap it too tight around their face, all those tiny, fragile strands around your face are more prone to break.” Opt for the super-thin and soft microfiber hair towels instead, which are totally OK to wrap into a turban.
5. Consider trying hair-boosting supplements. Your body requires many vital nutrients to create new hair, from ample protein to a slew of essential minerals. So take a look at your diet — because while eating a balanced diet helps. You may not be getting the proper amount of all the hair-building nutrients needed to create healthy hair that can grow super-long and withstand damage. “I take Viviscal Extra Strength and biotin tablets every day and tell my clients to do so as well. Especially if they want to grow their hair and make it healthier as soon as it comes out of the follicle,” Townsend says. Before starting to take supplements, it’s best to check in with your doctor to make sure that you take the right amounts. And that they won’t interact with any medications you’re currently taking.
