Every woman wants beautiful long hair that turns heads wherever she goes. Long and silky hair garners attention like nothing else. Almost every woman, regardless of her age, desires to have them; however, most get disheartened when halfway through their length, hair starts becoming limp, dry and dull.

 They incorporate hair products available for long hair on the market with results that last for a short time, and end up with brittle hair.

Initially when you are growing long hair you will face a few setbacks, such as hair thinning and dullness, but the worst is when your hair becomes brittle. These setbacks can be attributed to any one of these factors: inadequate diet, poor blood circulation, vitamin deficiency, excessive shampooing, lack of deep conditioning and massaging.

Other factors that can damage your hair are frequent use of hair styling products, heat/chemical treatments or a combination of these. Gradually, if you keep these factors at bay, you will notice that your hair is coming back to life and is growing steadily.

One more thing, growing long hair is neither impossible nor very difficult. You have to give it time, the changes you make to your diet and to your life style will reward you slowly but surely. Take small steps by making little changes here and there till you are comfortable and can further implement those changes.

 For example, you love to shampoo you hair everyday for that fresh feeling and can’t cut it down to just once a week. You have to give up gradually by shampooing on alternate days till you get used to it and then lower the frequency by washing your hair with shampoo after two days.

Protein

Protein is vital for your hair whether they are short, mid-length or long; however, it becomes important when you are lengthening your hair. Protein repairs damage caused by wear and tear to the muscles and is converted to keratin by keratinocytes under the skin. You have to increase your protein intake when you are growing your hair to provide natural keratin to your hair.

That being said, don’t skip your breakfast that contains eggs, milk and oats. You also want to include cottage cheese, Greek yogurt (you can have other varieties too), lentils, lean meat, nuts, bean sprouts and pumpkin seeds in your daily diet.

Those women who engage in strenuous workouts can add parmesan, Swiss and cheddar cheese to meet their protein demands, without worrying about putting on extra pounds.

Women worry that they will gain weight if they consume large portions of these foods or if they consume more than the necessary amount. You can consume these foods without any worries as these foods (except cheese and nuts) are recommended for people on a diet.

Vitamins and Minerals

Another important tidbit for long healthy hair is to take a vitamin and mineral supplement to enhance your hair growth. Yes, your hair needs extra doses because it’s in its growing stage and can’t get all the necessary nutrients from the diet itself.

 Think of it like this, you need to supplement your diet when you do strenuous exercises likewise your hair needs extra nutrition when it’s growing to counter the stress and strain. For example, zinc is vital for your health and hair and an average woman needs 8 mg of zinc per day to meet her daily requirements.

If you have three ounces of chicken (almost a cup) and a large egg, you only get 0.8 mg and 0.6 mg of zinc respectively. You double this amount of food and you still get only 2.8 mg of zinc which is way below your health needs. The same applies for iron and vitamins, especially Biotin.

Unlike keratin that is made by the conversion of protein by keratinocytes, biotin can’t be produced by the body itself and in case of a deficiency you have to rely on external sources. If after following all the hair care rules in the book your hair lacks luster and feels lifeless, then it means you are deficient in multiple areas and can counter it with Kerotin hair growth formula to meet your dietary needs.

Shampoo Weekly

 You need to let those natural oils do their job, which is to moisturize your hair. The longer your hair is the longer it takes for oils to penetrate to the roots from the tips; hence it’s important that you don’t remove this oil by shampooing frequently.

You should wash your hair with water every second day and condition them, but you should shampoo only once a week. 

Remove the salt and sweat build-up by rinsing your hair with lukewarm water. The conditioner removes mild impurities so your hair won’t get dirty.

Exposure to Water

When you shower after applying a conditioner, rinse your hair thoroughly to remove all traces of the conditioner, but don’t let your hair drench in water for long. This is because it will undo the effects of the conditioner and leave your hair dry and prone to damage.

Don’t use cold or hot water as this can lead to dull and brittle hair.

Massage

The sebaceous glands under the scalp produce sebum (natural oil) to nourish your hair shafts. When your hair is longer, it takes longer for the oil to travel up the hair shafts and that’s where massaging comes into play.

 You can stimulate this natural process by simply massaging the oil from the hair scalp to the hair roots.

Also, massage your scalp in small circular motions for five minutes a day by applying gentle pressure. This will increase blood circulation, providing oxygen to your hair follicles and rejuvenate the roots. This will boost hair growth.

Keratin & Biotin

Yes, you are having a protein-rich diet to meet your hair needs. So, you may wonder why you need extra keratin and biotin. Whether your hair are in the growth phase or just want to boost your long hair, then keratin and biotin is what your hair needs from the outside as well.

Keratin makes your hair strong and shiny and biotin helps the natural keratin structure of your hair by increasing its elasticity. Evidence also suggests that keratin and biotin boost hair growth too.

Switch to Kerotin Keratin shampoo as it cleanses the pores in the scalp gently without harming your hair shafts. Your hair strands, on absorption of keratin, will become smooth and glossy, leaving you with silky and long hair.

Argan Oil

You are wondering why not use the good old olive oil. You can use either olive or argan oil if you hair is not showing any signs of damage. Both these oils will help make your hair strong and healthy. However, if your hair looks under nourished, then we recommend Argan Oil as it has healing properties due to high levels of antioxidants.

 Moreover, argan oil easily penetrates and absorbs into the cuticles, and restores moisture to your hair shafts.

Argan oil is also rich in vitamin D and omega 3, 6 and 9, which stimulate new hair growth and are vital for hair that is still growing. You can apply a few drops of Kerotin argan oil twice a week to your scalp. You can shampoo your hair after half an hour with a keratin rich shampoo for best results.

Hair Masks

Many people think that massaging and applying hair oil is enough to moisturize their scalp. It is hardly sufficient for people with short hair (above the shoulders if it’s dry or frizzy) let alone for people who are growing their hair.

Deep conditioning is important for long hair to help them retain their moisture for long periods. A hair mask hydrates the hair from the roots to tips and helps restore the shine and strength of your hair.

Apply natural homemade masks two to three times a week for 15 to 30 minutes or apply a Kerotin renewal hair mask for 5 minutes once a week. It will restore the hydration levels of your hair. The latter is great for those who have hectic schedules and don’t seem to have enough time at hand.

Regular Trims

Getting regular trims may sound counterintuitive when you are growing your hair; however, it’s vital for hair growth. Think of plants and how they need pruning to bolster new growth. Similarly, you need to get rid of the old hair and split ends to get long hair.

When hair is longer it is prone to damage as it takes more time for sebum (natural hair oil produced by the scalp) to reach and moisturize the longer hair strands. This results in split ends at the tips. These split ends travel up the hair and cause damage to the hair cuticle, which make your hair dry and frizzy.

Regular trims help keep split ends at bay and give you sleek and smooth hair shafts. You don’t have to trim three inches every two months, but just half an inch every month to support your long hair.

Silk or Satin Pillow Cases

A cotton pillow case has a rougher texture compared to a silk one. This causes more friction between the hair strands, causing the cuticles to lose their moisture quickly. This loss of hydration affects the hair texture and your hair loses its shiny sleek appearance over time. Longer hair strands eventually reach a breaking point as they weaken permanently.

Tie Your Hair

Long hair strands can become tangled and snared with each other and the simplest way to avoid this is to tie them in a lose pony tail so when you sleep your hair is not spread in different directions. Compact and secured hair will develop fewer knots and is manageable because it doesn’t become dry so quickly as compared to hair left untied.

Heat Styling/Chemical Treatments

You don’t have to give up blow-drying or straightening tools or coloring for good, but till your hair is growing you should limit their use to twice or thrice a month. Your hair strand is made of overlapped cells called the cuticle. These cells lose moisture when heat (or chemicals such as hair dyes) is applied, making the cuticle stand up, and this gives you frizzy hair.

The only way to counter this is to minimize treating your hair and when you do, follow it with a hair mask.

Two Combs

We agree that it’s time consuming to comb and style your hair. That’s why we suggest you switch to a wide-tooth comb for the mornings when you are in a rush. You can use a detailed routine that involves two combs for the evenings when you have more time.

 First untangle any snags and knots in your hair with your hand gently. Start combing your hair from the tips, gradually increasing to mid-length and loosening all the tangles. Finally move the comb across the scalp and bring it down through the whole length. Now, you can comb and style your hair with your regular comb as you usually do.

Note: Use two separate combs instead of one that has both features in one. The reason is obvious; the two-in-one comb just gathers hair in both portions and exerts unequal pressure on your hair shaft that leads to damaged hair.

Towels

Towels, even the soft ones, have a coarse surface when you compare it with cotton. You can cut some old cotton sheet in two pieces and use this to wrap your wet hair.

You can also use any old cotton T-shirt to gently dry your hair. Again, it’s important that you don’t rub vigorously, but gently. You can also use a soft microfiber cloth to dry your hair. It will take more time, but the result is soft and shiny hair which is totally worth the effort.

The Final Say

Like we said, earlier in the post, long hair needs patience because it will take some time before you can incorporate all these habits into your lifestyle, especially the ones that require cutting back on hair styling and using hot tools. Some habits are easy to inculcate, like combing with a wide comb or using silk pillows, others will take time to get instilled in your life style. Give it a shot.