10 Tricks for Growing Your Hair
Really, Really Long
1. Remember that it can't grow overnight. Unless your scalp unleashes new strands like a Chia Pet, gaining
new length is going to take time. "Hair typically only grows about a
quarter of an inch — to a half an inch max — a month," says celebrity hair
stylist Mark Townsend, who helped Ashley Olsen grow out her asymmetric bob to
past her waist. "And that's only if it is super-healthy and doesn't have a
ton of split ends." The bottom line: Practice patience.
2. Ironically, scissors are your friend. Although getting regular trims to snip splits won't make your hair
actually grow faster, it will keep tips looking healthy and prevent splits from
working their way up strands, requiring you to chop hair off more often.
"If you wait so long that splits are causing your hair to break off high
up on the strand, your hair will actually be shorter than if you get consistent
trims," Townsend says, who suggests asking your stylist to take around
just an eighth of an inch off every 10 to 12 weeks to prevent extreme split
ends before they start.
3. Use conditioner every time you
shampoo. "If your hair
is wet, that means you have to condition it," Townsend says. "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," he says.
4. And don't shampoo every time you shower. "It's shocking to me how many women skip conditioner when showering,
which is the worst thing you can do for your hair — especially when you're
trying to grow it long — and it's actually shampoo that you should be skipping
as much as possible," Townsend says. Here's why: The purpose of shampoo is
to wash away dirt and product buildup, but it can also take essential natural
oils that keep strands soft and healthy along with it. When you really do need
shampoo, be gentler on your hair by only lathering up at your scalp and then
simply letting the suds slide down strands, hitting the rest of the hair as the
water rinses it away.
5. Do a cold-water
rinse at the end of each shower. "This
really does 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."
6. Apply an oil or mask treatment weekly. Hair that touches your shoulders or beyond can be several years
old and most likely needs more TLC than normal conditioner. Townsend suggests
using moisture-based masks and oils weekly. "I make a natural oil
treatment and give it to all of my clients to use pre-shampoo," Townsend
says. (His easy recipe: 1 cup of unrefined coconut oil mixed with 1 tablespoon
each of almond, macadamia, and jojoba oils.) Because oils can leave a residue
on hair, he says to apply it to damp hair, leave it on for 10 minutes, then
shampoo and condition like normal. "These oils are able to fill strands up
with fatty acids and then, when rinsed out, using regular shampoo helps seal
them inside hair," Townsend says, adding that Kate Bosworth, Diane Kruger,
and Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen are fans. Not into DIY? Try an oil-based hair
treatment instead.
7. 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
8. Brush your hair like it's spun from gold. Constant brushing can cause physical harm to your hair. "When
you detangle wet hair, be sure to start from the bottom and work your way up —
we often instinctually go from the scalp down, but that just brings small
tangles into one large knot and can cause you to lose a lot of hair,"
Townsend explains. He also suggests reaching for the , as boar bristle
brushes are good at distributing your scalp's natural oils down your hair and
being extra-gentle on strands too.
9. Ditch your cotton pillowcase. Townsend recommends switching to a silk or satin fabric, because it has a
softer surface that won't cause friction the way that regularly woven cotton
does with your hair. That way, you'll wake up with fewer tangles.
10. Never, ever wrap your hair in a massive towel again. What could be so bad about putting hair in your super-soft bath
towel? A lot. "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 (like Aquis microfiber hair towel), which are totally
OK to wrap into a turban.
