Team Roar
If you’re the sort of person who, when we tell you what to do with long, flowing hair, shout “But my hair won’t grow!” ‒ then read on. We are fully aware that some people have serious issues growing their hair, and we are not ignoring your concerns. You’ve heard all the lines: ‘oil your hair’, ‘trim it’, ‘don’t colour it’ etc. While some of these may possess some truth, there are everyday things that you must keep in mind, and other things that you could do to help you achieve longer locks in a shorter time.
The first thing to remember is:
It Doesn’t Grow Overnight
Don’t expect your hair to grow overnight (staring at it won’t help either). Image courtesy today.com
Unless you’re coating it in compost (we’re kidding ‒ don’t really try that), your hair will only grow a quarter of an inch to half an inch a month. That, too, only if it’s extremely healthy and sans the dreaded split ends. So don’t cry while trying to pull your hair down if it doesn’t *look* like it’s growing.
Trim
Not that trimming makes it grow any faster, but it helps take care of split ends. When an end splits, the strand of hair continues to split upwards, causing you to chop off more than you desire. Every two months, just do a ‘slight’ trim. Explain to your Godbarber the meaning of ‘slight’, and if it helps, use a ruler to show what a centimetre looks like – just so you won’t even give the split end a chance to break up with its other half.
Conditioner, Conditioner, Conditioner
Invest in conditioner. Your hair will be grateful. Image courtesy goodhousekeeping.com
Wet hair should always be conditioned. Conditioner is a gift from the hair gods to replace the lipids and proteins inside the hair shaft by sealing the cuticle. This really, and we mean really, helps your hair stay healthy and soft. If you shampoo your hair, you should definitely use conditioner – and we’ll explain to you in a moment why we said ‘if you shampoo’.
Go Easy On The Shampoo
While you may think that conditioning your hair is a matter of choice, it’s actually shampoo that should be occasional. While we don’t ask you to skip shampoo on a day you have been playing in the mud, maybe skip it on a day you know your hair doesn’t need thorough cleaning. Shampoo can wash away dirt, mud, pieces of bread, and gremlins like nothing else. However, it can also take away with it the essential natural oils that keep your hair soft and healthy. Let’s go easy on the shampoo from now on.
Oil? Mask? Hair? What?
Remember what we told you about how long it takes for your hair to grow? Well, that means the hair that is below your shoulder could be several years old, and as with anything vintage, you need to look after it. Hunt down some amazing oils or hair masks and use them at least once a week. It’ll do wonders. Trust us.
The Cotton Devil
She probably wouldn’t look so happy if she knew what that cotton could do to her hair. Image courtesy 92an.com
While we Sri Lankans consider cotton to be a basic necessity of life, cotton pillow cases are not that great for your hair. The friction they cause is the reason you wake up looking like a bird built a nest in your hair while you were sleeping.
Give Your Hair A Boost
If you are having real trouble with limp, unhealthy hair, use some products that would give it a boost – like whey protein to build muscles. Food, of course, will give you a good boost, but it helps to use some external supplements too. It would help to check with your doctor about it if you are unsure what you need and how much of it.
Towel Wrapping Hair
This may look comfy, but is apparently detrimental to your poor hair. Image courtesy womesnhealthmag.com
Apparently a big no no. (Who knew?!) While we think it’s the equivalent of a get rich quick scheme for dry hair, it’s actually pulling all your hair out. Well not all, but the ones that get tangled in the fabric, as well as the baby hairs around your face when you tighten the towel around it. However, microfibre towels are supposed to be okay.
Take A Cold Shower
As we’ve said before, cold water will seal up the moisture and help with the heat damage. Just end the shower with a cold splash. You’ll thank us later.
