Long hair can be pretty, demurely elegant and sexy all at the same time.
And when it shimmers in the sun, oh my.
But the best part of having long hair may be that you don’t have to be a hair model to rock your locks!
However, it is important to keep in mind that caring for smoking hot, long hair is a lot different than caring for shorter tresses.
Or that sometimes we can get stuck in the same hair care routine we’ve followed since we were what, twelve?
So in order to insure your hair is healthy, good looking and doesn’t cause problems, why not try some of these great long hair tips.
Oh and don’t miss the helpful hair care video a bit further down. You may find an “aha moment” or two lurking there to assist you with caring for your endless mane.
For starters many feel it is important you give your hair a trim about every 6 to 8 weeks. Trimming is critical to your hair’s health as it results in sustainable growth by eliminating split ends. Having your hair trimmed also may produce hair that is less oily and frizzy.
Whenever possible, let your hair dry naturally. And I know. We all tend to use a blow dryer to get out of the bathroom quicker. Especially if we’ve hit the snooze button once too often. Unfortunately, repeating this time saving move too often can dry out your tresses damaging them. Use your blow dryer (if possible) on a cool setting and try to refrain from using a brush to style your hair while blow drying.
Always avoid pulling your hair too hard when trying to detangle it. Try to work out the knots with your fingers first by starting at the roots. Work in a downwards direction and if needed, use a hair comb instead of a brush. Keeping in mind that pulling on your tangled strands too vigorously can result in breakage which in essence is hair loss.
One of the best long hair care tips to follow is to spread the natural oils throughout your hair when brushing or combing. Make sure you use long strokes starting from the top of your head working towards the bottom of your hair. Brushing this way not only gets rid of static, but it also disperses those much needed natural oils.
Never style your hair in a way that tugs too tightly on the roots. For example, if you like to keep your hair in braids, be sure your braids are loose enough at the scalp level to avoid causing breakage by stressing the hair follicles on your scalp.
Ponytails are another thing to watch out for. Wearing a ponytail is okay as long as you use scrunchies or bands made to prevent breakage. And it’s simply smart to change from a high pony to a low pony to maybe a side pony from day to day. Doing so changes the part of the strands under stress from the band.
Always use quality shampoos and conditioners. Make sure that the duo you choose is specially formulated for your hair length and style. Some shampoos will prevent breakage and others will focus on dandruff. It might be best to make sure any shampoo you use is salon quality so that it helps to bring out the best in your hair. Conditioners are important because they maintain your hair and help you detangle it after washing.
TIP: Those with long hair should focus on conditioning the ends as opposed to their roots.
Okay so having sleek long hair can be a blessing because of how it frames your face. But for even more help on getting long hair that is sophisticated, smart and gorgeous let’s go to the videotape.
Yeah I hope you find this video to be the perfect complement to the points just made. It is full of good ideas and little tips Jennifer picked up from various stylists about long hair. Just love her hair, don’t you?
How To Wash Your Hair
Luscious long hair starts with washing your hair right. Well, more to the point how often you wash it. Naturally the “how often” question is best answered by matching shampooing frequency with your hair type. In this case she can go two or three days between washings. Lucky girl. Obviously we all cannot do that. But the point being if you want your locks to look healthy you don’t wash them too often or you risk drying your hair out.
What about oiliness? Good question. Problem is over-washing will sometimes trigger a vicious cycle. If your scalp is dry it will produce more oil in response. Your natural reaction to the developing oil slick on your head is to wash more often. Then even more oiliness will result. See where this is going? Solution? Don’t wash your hair as often if you can at all get away with it.
Another trick. As an alternative to washing she suggest doing a warm water rinse. This will help distribute the oils from your scalp on down the strands. You can condition if you feel the need. Again focusing on the hair ear length and below.
Product to Try: TRESemme Gentle Cleansing
Don’t Skip Conditioning
You can’t have beautiful long hair without conditioner. It’s a way to get really smooth moisturized hair and a must for any hair care routine.
Product to Try: Pantene Beautiful Lengths
Just wanted to add that one Amazon reviewer noted this product is “…the closest I’ve ever found to what comes in hair coloring kits”. So if you’re looking for soft, shiny hair, that’s not weighed down, this may work for you.
Blow Drying/Styling Routine
Never blow dry from totally wet to totally dry in one go. She alternates blasting her hair with hot air for 30 seconds and then cool air for 30 seconds so as to avoid overheating her long locks. And with the cool air mixed in your hair might end up being shinier. She uses a larger barrel round brush when styling.
And never, never, never let heat get anywhere near your hair unless you have added a heat protectant first.
Product to Try: Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray
It may be that if you spray this on even without blow drying your hair will end up being a lot softer. At least that is the claim here.
Also when blow drying you might want to use an anti frizz serum.
Product to Try: Garnier Fructis Anti Frizz Serum Sleek and Shine
Keeping up with the minimizing exposure to heat theme, she suggests planning ahead and not using multiple hot styling tools on your hair at the same time In other words minimize the amount of heat you put on your hair at any one styling session. So if you know you’re going to be curling your hair Saturday, wash and dry it Friday. That way it’s not getting an overdose of damaging heat.
Ceramic Heat
By this I mean all her hot styling tools are ceramic. So her blow dryer, curling iron and straightening iron are ceramic. She feels this minimizes the potential for heat damage. Not to mention it is claimed that these offer even and gentle heat.
Not a Fan of Frequent Trims
Well that’s not exactly true. She just ignores the suggestions about trimming every three or four months. Not that she doesn’t agree with this beauty rule. But she feels since her hair is layered, she doesn’t have to trim as often. In other words layers let you go longer between trims. That’s because your hair will tend to grow unevenly anyway. So with all the layers who can tell whether it’s been trimmed recently or not?
Obviously if your hair type is different some of these tips and ideas may or may not be all that helpful.
Yet what is helpful is seeing how someone takes good care of their long hair. Besides there are probably good ideas that can be applied in your quest of super model hair too! You know, hair that is smooth, silky soft and full of volume?
Leave a Reply